Unconditional
by iwasnthere622
Summary: The end of the game if it was Zelloyd. Lloyd's POV. Follows game events from Flanoir Doctor scene to end, plus some aftermath. ZELLOYD. Zelos   Lloyd. LEMON in last chapter.
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! This is my first fanfic; it was supposed to be just a short Zelloyd one-shot of the Flanoir Doctor scene that spiraled wildly out of control! So here it is, spanning that scene to the end of the game, with a little aftermath thrown in from Lloyd's POV. It follows the storyline closely, but of course is Zelloyd! :) Last chapter will contain a **lemon**, so be warned.

I, of course, don't own Tales of Symphonia, or else this stuff would be in it!

_I can't believe this is happening. Has all of this been real? I just wanted to go on a journey with my friends, and help Colette, the Chosen, save our world. But so much has changed since I left Iselia. And now not only do I still have to somehow save Sylvarant, but I have to find a way to do it without losing Colette or any of my other friends and without sacrificing Tethe'alla, the world connected to mine. All of these people – my friends, family, Chosens, dwarves, humans, elves, half-elves, Summon Spirits, everyone in both worlds – they all deserve the chance to live their lives to the fullest. The only thing standing in their way is Cruxis, and its' leader Mithos Yggdrasill. I will _not_ give in to his twisted view of the worlds. I won't let his Age of Lifeless Beings happen!_

The sound of someone knocking on his door jerked Lloyd out of his thoughts. _That's right; Zelos, Sheena, Genis, and I are still waiting on word from the others who took the Doctor to Altessa_, Lloyd thought. Out loud, he said, "Who is it? Come on in."

The door opened, and Zelos stepped into Lloyd's room at the inn. He studied Lloyd a minute, taking in what he termed the "farm-boy peasant look", and noted the serious, and somewhat troubled, expression on his face.

"Hey man, you awake?" Zelos asked, grinning.

"I just got sleepy right now. G'night." Lloyd deadpanned.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Don't be like that!" Zelos said. "Come on, let's go talk outside for a bit. Sitting in here staring out into space and worrying isn't gonna help you any. You need to relax, loosen up! Come on, let's go check out the snow! I bet a bumpkin like you has never enjoyed it! Let's go!"

Lloyd rolled his eyes and muttering, "I'm not a bumpkin", brushed past Zelos and headed to the inn's entrance. _Zelos is right_, Lloyd thought. _Sitting in my room depressed won't do me any good. Maybe pummeling Zelos with snowballs with make me feel better. It'll be fun, at least_.

Zelos grinned and followed Lloyd, closing the door to the room behind him. As the pair walked down the hall, Lloyd tried to ignore the stares they were getting from every girl they passed. He rolled his eyes, but he was used to the effect Zelos had on women by now, and, ignoring the Chosen's winks and waves, continued to the lobby of the inn.

"Hey! Lloyd!"

Lloyd turned to see Genis waving at him. He and Zelos waited while Genis ran up to them. The twelve year old gasped as he came to a halt next to them.

"Better watch it, brat, you'll hyperventilate at the rate your breathing," Zelos remarked.

"Shut…up!" Genis panted.

"Genis, just take a few deep breaths. You okay?" Lloyd asked.

Catching his breath, Genis replied: "Yeah. But, Lloyd! The others still aren't back yet! I'm worried about Altessa!"

"Don't worry," Lloyd said. "Sheena says this Doctor knows his stuff. I'm sure Altessa will be fine. Plus, the others are there to help as well."  
"Y…Yeah." Genis replied.

Zelos grinned. "Oh, come on! You're more worried about being away from Presea, right?"

Genis turned bright red. "Sh…Shut up, Zelos! I'm worried about Altessa, that's all!"

Zelos winked. "Sure, shortie, whatever you have to tell yourself."

Lloyd laughed. "Come on, Zelos. Leave Genis alone. Genis, if you're that worried, talk with Sheena. I'm sure she can make you feel better."

"O…Okay." Genis said.

"Did someone say my name?"

"Well, if it isn't my voluptuous hunny! The brat here is worried about Altessa." Zelos said, grinning.

"Zelos! Don't call me that!" Sheena yelled as she joined the group. Zelos just continued to grin at her. Ignoring him, she turned to Genis.

"Don't worry, Genis. This Doctor helped the Chief a lot when he got hurt; he is a really good Doctor. Altessa will be okay." Sheena said.

Genis sighed. "You're right; there's no point in worrying. All we can do now is wait for the others to return with news."

Lloyd smiled. "Right! Zelos and I are going out to check out the snow. You guys want to come?"

"Yeah, why don't you join us, Sheena? We could have a really good time!" Zelos said as he tried to sneak his arm around Sheena's waist to grab her butt.

"Zelos!" Sheena yelled, smacking his arm.

"Aww! You're no fun, Sheena!" Zelos whined.

Glowering at Zelos, Sheena replied to Lloyd, "No thanks. I'm not going out with this idiot Chosen here. I'm gonna go back to my room to get some rest."

"Yeah, I'm really tired, too. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Lloyd. Wake me up when Pre… when everyone gets back. Good night!" Genis said.

Lloyd shrugged but said, "Sure. I will. G'night, you guys."

Sheena gave Zelos once last withering stare and stalked off, Genis at her heels. Grinning, Zelos turned and headed for the inn's entrance.

"Well, we can still have some fun. C'mon, Lloyd." Zelos said.

Lloyd and Zelos left the inn and walked to the terrace overlooking the city. The buildings were all covered in snow, and big, fat flakes fell down on the pair as they looked out at the city.

Lloyd bent down and scooped up a handful.

"It's so cold! But, it's kinda pretty, too." Lloyd said.

"Heh. I knew a bumpkin like you would appreciate it." Zelos replied.

Lloyd grinned, and turning to Zelos, proceeded to throw the snow in his hand right at his face! Zelos stood shocked for a moment as the snow melted on his face.

"Okay, you asked for it!" Zelos cried. He ran, scooping up snow while dodging Lloyd's next throw. He managed to get behind Lloyd and dumped the snow right down the back of his clothes.

"Ah! Jeez, that's cold!" Lloyd shouted.

The next twenty minutes were a frenzy as the two pelted each other with snow. Exhausted, Lloyd collapsed onto his back.

"I give! No more!" He said.

Zelos grinned, and plopped down beside him.

"Heh. You should know you could never beat me at a snowball fight. I bet it doesn't even snow in Iselia, since you're so close to the desert. But it snows regularly in Meltokio…" Zelos said.

"Hey, you okay?" Lloyd asked.

Zelos ignored him, and got up to stand at the edge of the terrace, leaning on the rail.

"On that day, Meltokio had a record snowfall. It looked just like this city." Zelos said.

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?" Lloyd asked.

"Ah, just a story about the past. I suddenly felt like talking about it. It's nothing, forget it." Zelos answered.

Lloyd got up as well and stood next to Zelos. "If you want to talk, I'm all ears." He said.

After a pause, Zelos said, "I was so excited to see snow for the first time, and I made a snowman in the garden with my mother. Then suddenly, the snowman fell apart. Before I knew what was going on, red snow began to fall."

Confused, Lloyd said, "Red…snow?"

Zelos turned to him, and said, "It was my mother's blood. She was murdered."

Lloyd stood speechless, staring at Zelos and imagining a little boy out playing with his mother, a pretty picture that shattered in one horrible minute.

"Zelos…"

"As she fell, she grabbed my shoulder and told me, 'You should never have been born'." Zelos said, turning to look back out over the city, reliving that moment in his head.

"But that's… that's horrible!" Lloyd said, shaking his head as if to deny the ugliness of the words.

"My mother probably loved somebody else. But because of the oracle from Cruxis, she had to marry the Chosen at the time – my father. And the old man had another woman as well. So not only was she forced to give up her own chances at love, but she was forced into marriage with a cold, cheating bastard." Zelos said.

Lloyd angrily said, "But none of that was your fault! Yeah, that's horrible that your mom couldn't choose her own husband, and yeah, it sucks that he cheated on her, but placing the blame on you, an innocent child caught in the middle, just wasn't right!"

Zelos turned to Lloyd, and said, "The magic that killed my mother was meant for me."

"Wh…what?" Lloyd asked.

"I was targeted because I was the next Chosen. My mother was caught in the crossfire. Having me killed her. The one who tried to kill me was Seles' mother, the woman my bastard of a father not only was having the affair with, but had another child with. They executed her, and Seles was placed under house arrest in the abbey, for my protection of course." Zelos said.

"So that's what happened. Is that why Seles hates you?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah. And really, can you blame her? I never wanted to be the Chosen. I spent every moment of my life wishing I could just run away. The Church had Seles, right? So why couldn't I just leave?" Zelos replied.

After a moment, Lloyd said, "Chosens lead really difficult lives. I can only imagine what it's like. But I can still understand how hard it must be."

Zelos closed his eyes a moment, then forced a smile. "Sorry. Kinda hard to think of anything to say to a story like that, right?"

Lloyd shook his head, then put his hand on Zelos' shoulder. "Don't worry about it. But why did you suddenly decide to tell me?" He asked.

Zelos shrugged, causing Lloyd's hand to drop. He turned to Lloyd and said, "I should've never been born."

Lloyd was stunned. Zelos was always the confident, cocky member of the group.

"Wh…why do you say that?" Lloyd demanded.

Zelos shook his head. "I'm not saying I still think that way now. But all my life, I've been rejected by my parents, shunned by the Church, and viewed as a threat by the royal family… I just wanted to run away."

Lloyd felt some relief at knowing Zelos no longer thought like that way. But…

"You're here with us now, though, right? I mean, we've accepted you into our group. You've stayed. You're here with… with me, right?" He asked.

Zelos turned away again to face the city. "I don't know. Even now, to tell the truth, I get tired of all the problems. Sometimes I think it'd be easier if everyone and everything were just destroyed."

Lloyd shoved Zelos' shoulder, forcing him to face him. "Zelos! How can you say that?" He yelled, fisting his hands at his side.

Zelos cocked his head and studied Lloyd for a minute.

"Did I piss you off?" He questioned.

Lloyd quickly responded, "Hell yes! Of course! It'd be a huge problem for me if everything was destroyed! It'd be a huge problem for me if _you_ were destroyed!"

Zelos just sighed. "But think about it, Lloyd. If everything was destroyed, you'd vanish, too. And if I was destroyed, well… you'd be fine."

Lloyd angrily shook his head. "No. I refuse to vanish. And I don't want anyone else to be destroyed… I want you to live, Zelos. I need you to live. To be here, by my side."

Stunned by Lloyd's words and the sincerity behind them, Zelos just stared at him a moment. Trying to regain his cocky, sarcastic attitude, he said, "I think I'm gonna cry."

Lloyd shoved his shoulder again. "Don't make fun of what I'm saying. Tomorrow, once we're sure that Altessa is okay, I'm going to challenge Mithos to a final battle. But if that's the way you feel, I'll be too worried to bring you along. I have to know that you'll stick with us, with me. I have to know that you'll fight by my side. Zelos… I need you to stand on my side."

"Lloyd… You're going to fight? Do you really think you can unite the worlds?" Zelos asked.

"Of course! I can fight. I will fight. I'm not going to run away." Lloyd answered.

"Alright, alright, I hear you. I swear, your fervent enthusiasm is enough to melt all the snow in Flanoir. I'm in. I guess I'll give this not running away thing a shot. And if you hit me one more time, I'll hit you back. You know, you give incredibly moving speeches when the mood strikes you." Zelos said, rubbing his shoulder.

"Zelos… I meant it. I can't do this without you. And if I have to, well, I'd spend most of my time worrying about you and end up dead. I need you." Lloyd said.

"Lloyd…" Zelos murmured.

"Look, we're in this together, okay?" Lloyd said, sticking out his hand to Zelos.

"Heh. Yeah. Together." Zelos said, grabbing Lloyd's hand.

Lloyd looked down at their entwined hands. He'd never noticed before how soft Zelos' gloves were. But he could feel the warmth of the hand he was holding, and, curious, rubbed his thumb a bit about Zelos' hand. Zelos suddenly stiffened, and seemed to not even be breathing, as Lloyd felt his rough calluses through his glove, showing the hard work he had put in to fight for Lloyd. Lloyd looked up into Zelos' eyes, and turned bright red, suddenly dropping Zelos' hand.

"Ah…" Lloyd mumbled.

"Let's go back. It's way too cold out here." Zelos said, breathing again but staring at Lloyd in a new way.

"R…right." Lloyd said.

Together, they walked back to the inn. Lloyd was suddenly aware of his body in relation to Zelos', and was very conscious of the mere inches of space separating them. Zelos, meanwhile, was so preoccupied that he forgot to keep up his charming façade and wave to the few girls they passed as they made their way through the mostly deserted and closed lobby. The pair stopped in front of Lloyd's room first.

"Well… thanks for listening to me, Lloyd. I hope you're feeling better than before, 'cause when I first walked into your room, you looked really depressed." Zelos said.

"Yeah. Thanks, Zelos." Lloyd said.

Lloyd searched his right pocket for his room key. Then he searched his left pocket. Then his jacket pockets. Panicking, he turned to Zelos.

"Oh man! I forgot to grab the key before we left! And the main desk has closed for the night! What am I gonna do?" He said.

Zelos thought for a moment, then said, "Well, I guess there's nothing you can do to get back in there till morning. You'll have to bunk in my room for the night."

Lloyd just stared at him. "But…"

Zelos waved his hand and said, "No buts. Come on, you can have the couch." He turned and headed to his room, a reluctant Lloyd following him.

"Here we are." Zelos said, as he used his key to unlock the door.

The pair entered, and Lloyd looked around as Zelos relocked the door. He noticed immediately that the bed took up almost the entire room. To make room for it, the chair, desk, and dresser that were in his room were missing from this one.

"Ah, yeah. I had them take out the useless junk and got a bigger bed instead. I like to be comfortable when I'm relaxing in bed." Zelos said.

Lloyd audibly swallowed, and walked toward the couch.

"Help me set this up, will you?" Lloyd asked.

Zelos walked over and both of them pulled at the couch, but nothing happened.

"Huh. Doesn't it pull out? The one in my room does." Lloyd said.

"Maybe there's a lever or something?" Zelos suggested.

The pair searched but couldn't find anything.

"Well, since I doubt you'll fit or be comfortable on it, it looks like we're sharing the bed." Zelos said.

Lloyd just stared at him.

"Oh, please. You've bunked with Genis before, haven't you? Nothing will happen." Zelos said, annoyed.

He walked over to the right side of the bed and sat down to remove his shoes. He then took off his gloves, jacket, and pants, and stood facing Lloyd in his undershirt, shorts, and socks.

"Stop gawking and get moving." He said mildly, then climbed into the bed.

Lloyd walked over, and repeated the process Zelos had, taking a bit longer to removing his overalls, then climbed into the left side of the bed. He stared at the ceiling and tried hard not to think of Zelos laying two inches next to him.

"Well, good night, Lloyd." Zelos said, turning on his side to face him.

"Good ni…" Lloyd said, looking over at Zelos and faltering mid-sentence. The moonlight caught on Zelos' Cruxis crystal and made it seem impossibly bright and beautiful. He reached out, then stopped, realizing he had been about to touch Zelos' upper chest.

"It's okay," Zelos whispered. "It doesn't hurt. Most days I don't even notice it. Go ahead." Zelos grabbed Lloyd's hand.

"H…Hey!" Lloyd said, turning red.

Zelos pulled Lloyd's hand closer, ignoring his protests, and placed it on his Cruxis Crystal, on his upper chest. He closed his eyes.

"Lloyd… I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone. I like you. You're a good guy, a good person. The truth is, all the flirting and commentary that I make… it's all an act. Sure, I like women, just like I like the beach and I like sleeping in. I don't like them enough to sleep with them, though."

Lloyd traced the shape of the Crystal with his fingers. He could feel Zelos' muscles bunching, and he noticed how incredibly muscular Zelos was. He glanced at Zelos' face, then stared at his hand. "I've never… It's not… I…," He tried to speak, but couldn't think of how to say what he wanted.

"From what I've heard and seen about Sylvarant, I'm guessing you never knew you didn't have to fall in love with a woman. That's okay. But Lloyd, I have to know… Do you love Colette?" Zelos asked.

"What? No!" Lloyd said, jerking his hand from Zelos' chest. More calmly, he said, "No. She's like my annoying little sister. I've never felt the way about her that she feels for me."

"I see…" Zelos said.

"…Before, when we were talking outside… Zelos, if you were destroyed, I would _not_ be okay, I…" Lloyd took a deep breath. "I've never felt this way about anyone… Except you." He said.

Zelos smiled. "Heh. Well, you finally admit it. I've been waiting, hoping you'd feel the same way."

Zelos moved closer, until there was just a fraction of an inch of space between them. Lloyd let him, then hesitantly reached out and put his fingers through Zelos' hair.

"Heh. I've wanted to do that since I saw you." Lloyd said, smiling slightly.

Zelos grinned back, then without warning, closed the gap and kissed Lloyd.

"And I've wanted to do that since I saw you." Zelos said.

Lloyd stared at him for a minute, his face heating up.

"Come on, none of that. Not after everything you've said tonight." Zelos said.

"You're right," Lloyd said, "Why don't we try that again?"

Zelos grinned. "Gladly."

They both leaned into each other this time, and the kiss lasted longer than the first.

Pulling away, Zelos said, "It's late. We should get some rest if we're going to kick Cruxis ass tomorrow."

They both smiled, and Lloyd nodded. They stayed close together, arms and hands linked, as they slept. 

-

Yes, I know, it's not that good. I'm new, I'm working on it. Review?


	2. Chapter 2

Well, here it is, Chapter 2! It's shorter than the last Chapter, but doesn't cover as much, so…

Yeah. I don't own Tales of Symphonia. Enjoy!

* * *

When Lloyd woke up the next morning, for a second he didn't know where he was. Then it all came flooding back to him, and his face heated up as he remembered that he was in Zelos' bed, and that they had kissed the night before. He'd never kissed anyone before, beside Colette who didn't count anyway, since she was like his sister. But with Zelos, it had seemed… right.

"Well, well. Good morning Sleeping Beauty. Finally up?" Zelos said, as he entered the room with a large breakfast tray.

Lloyd blushed, then got up and answered, "Yeah. How long have you been up? Are the others back yet?"

"Not too long. And bud? You snore." Zelos answered, as he sat down on the couch to enjoy their meal.

Lloyd joined him and took a piece of toast, munching on it as he vehemently denied the fact that he snored.

Zelos just grinned. "And to answer you're other question? No, not yet. As soon as we're done here, we should probably grab the other two and wait in the lobby for them."

"Good idea." Lloyd said.

The pair finished eating, and Lloyd got dressed, as Zelos was already dressed and ready to go.

"Lloyd." Zelos said.

"Wh…What?" Lloyd asked.

"About last night…" Zelos said.

"Oh." Lloyd said.

"Yeah. Look, I really do like you. And I want to spend more time with you, like that. But… we don't know for sure if we will be able to save both worlds. And if we can't, well… Tethe'alla will need its Chosen. I can't let them down. So until the worlds are reunited, I can't fully be with you. I have to maintain my expected image as the womanizing Chosen." Zelos said.

"Oh. I understand. But when we unite the worlds, you'll stay with me, right?" Lloyd asked.

Zelos grinned. "Of course, bud." Zelos said, as he took and held Lloyd's hand.

They stood like that for a moment, holding hands and grinning like idiots.

Then Zelos said, "Oh! I almost forgot. Here, I want you to take this."

He dropped Lloyd's hand to dig something out of his pocket. He took Lloyd's hand again and pressed a small, black sphere on a chain into his hand.

"What is this?" Lloyd asked, examining the hard stone.

"Just think of it as the Chosen's orb, okay? It's a symbol of my trust." Zelos said.

"But Zelos… I can't take this. I don't have anything for you, either." Lloyd said, trying to give it back.

Zelos just shook his head and covered the orb in Lloyd's hand.

"No, I want you to hang on to it. For me, okay? You can wear it under your clothes so no one can see it. Don't tell the others about it." Zelos said.

Lloyd shook his head, but kept the orb. "Why, so you don't have to get them all presents, too?" He asked jokingly.

Zelos laughed. "Of course! Besides, you're the only one special enough to rank getting a present from me."

Lloyd grinned, and slipped the chain on, tucking the orb under his clothes. Then he hugged Zelos. "Thanks."

"No problem." Zelos said. He pulled back and kissed Lloyd. This time, Lloyd only turned slightly pink instead of beat red. _Well, he's improving_, Zelos thought.

"Lloyd. I don't have the right to ask for your forgiveness, but I still want you to forgive me." Zelos said.

Lloyd looked up at Zelos, startled. "What the…?"

Zelos turned and headed to the door. "Come on. I'll grab Sheena and Genis and we'll meet you in the lobby. I'm sure the others will be back soon." He said as he left the room.

"…Man, what the heck is he trying to say? He should make it easier to understand! Forgive him for what?" Lloyd said. Shaking his head, he double-checked that he had everything, and left the room. He made it to the lobby before the others, so he spoke to the front desk about getting another key to his room. After receiving one, he decided he might as well pack up his room while he waited, so he went and did so. When he got back to the lobby with his things, Zelos, Sheena, and Genis were standing there waiting for him.

"Lloyd! Over here!" Genis shouted.

Lloyd headed over, and tried to look at Zelos, but Zelos suddenly was fascinated with the buttons on his coat. _Well, fine. I guess he doesn't want to talk in front of these guys_, Lloyd thought.

"Hey, you guys. Sleep okay?" Lloyd asked.

Zelos let out a small sigh of relief that Lloyd wasn't going to push him here, then grinned mischievously and replied, "Yup! I always sleep great with someone warming my bed!"

It took all of his effort, but Lloyd managed to not turn red and instead concentrated on Sheena's outraged cry of "You pervert!"

Zelos just winked at Lloyd, then winced when Sheena smacked his arm.

"Hey!" Zelos cried.

Ignoring him, Sheena replied to Lloyd, "Yeah, I slept good, considering. Thanks."

"Yeah. Me too." Genis added.

Lloyd took a deep breath. "Good. Since it seems we are all packed and ready, maybe we should find some place to sit while we wait –" Lloyd said, but was cut off when a group of four entered the inn and someone shouted, "Lloyd!"

Lloyd, Zelos, Sheena, and Genis turned and were met by Raine, Colette, Presea, and Regal.

"Guys! How's Altessa?" Lloyd asked as the two groups merged.

"He's doing well at the moment." Raine answered, also having been the one to call out his name. "We left the Doctor there. Some people from Mizuho are there as well. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Phew. That's a relief." Genis said, all the while eyeing Presea.

"Good. I need to speak with everyone. The world is never gonna change if we just wait for Cruxis to make the next move, right? So this time, we're going to strike them first." Lloyd said.

Zelos grinned. "Well, so you're really ready to do it! We're gonna raid Cruxis!"

Lloyd smiled back at him. "Yeah. I have two objectives: Prevent the establishment of Mithos' new Age… and release Origin."

"But if you release Origin, what about Kratos?" Genis asked.

Lloyd hesitated, then said, "I don't really know yet. We don't know for certain that he'll actually die. We also don't know if he'll side with us or not. We don't have the time to worry about things we're not sure of."

"What do you intend to do about the Eternal Sword?" Raine asked. "Even if you break Origin's seal, you can't wield it, remember? And I doubt either Genis or I would be able to handle a sword…"

The group was silent for a moment, then Zelos said, "Don't worry about that. I've got it covered."

Lloyd stared at Zelos. Zelos winked at him.

Flustered, Lloyd asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Why do you think I can use magic swords? I received magic injections with the latest in Tethe'alla technology. In other words, I'm a human with elven blood in me. That should work, shouldn't it?" Zelos said.

Lloyd squinted at him, trying to understand how he could have been injected with magic. He gave up and just decided to trust him.

Raine said, "Then I guess this will be the final battle."

_Well if Raine is accepting it, it must be possible_, Lloyd thought.

"Understood. Let us end this." Presea said.

"For the sake of uniting the worlds." Regal added.

"…Yeah." Genis said, still staring at Presea.

"I'll do my best, too!" Colette happily agreed.

"Colette. I need you to stay behind." Lloyd said.

"What? Why?" Colette asked.

"They want you as Martel's vessel. We'll have either Mizuho or the Renegades hide you." Lloyd answered.

"If that's what you want… You know what? No. I'm going too!" Colette said.

Lloyd stared at her. "But…"

Zelos grinned. "Heh, I get it. You don't think you can protect her. That is so sad."

Lloyd angrily turned to him. "Zelos! What did you say?"

"Don't worry, Colette! I, the great Zelos, swear to protect you!" Zelos said.

Lloyd fisted his hands at his side. "Zelos!"

"Take her along, Lloyd. They're gonna be after her no matter where she is. You ought to know that by now. Be a man, show her what you're made of!" Zelos said.

Before Lloyd could reply, Sheena said, "Wow, we actually have the same opinion for once. Sorry, Lloyd, but I agree with Zelos this time."

Zelos smiled in triumph, while Lloyd gave him a cold stare that promised retribution later. Zelos just grinned harder.  
Lloyd sighed in defeat. "All right. Colette will come with us, okay?" He said.

"Thank you, Lloyd. And everyone else, too." Colette said.

"Alright, let's leave the city and board the Rheairds." Lloyd glanced at Zelos, then led the group out of Flanoir.

"Hey, Zelos." Sheena said.

Zelos walked next to her. "Yeah?"

"Does Tethe'alla really have a technology like that?" She asked.

Zelos answered, "It sure does…for some weird reason. Now come on, let's catch up with Lloyd and the others."

Zelos hurried on ahead, and noticed that everyone was boarding their Rheairds except Lloyd, who was standing next to his red one and Zelos' green one.

Zelos grinned as he approached him. "All right, let's go kick some Cruxis butt, Lloyd!" He said.

"Zelos… about before. I trust you." Lloyd said.

"Wh… what are you talking about? Well, of course, I can understand that you're counting on me. Just place your faith in me!" Zelos said.

"Faith… I hope so. I really do trust you, Zelos. Don't let me down." Lloyd said as he boarded his Rheaird.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on. Let's go, Lloyd!" Zelos said. He boarded his Rheaird as well, and the group took off in the direction of the Tower of Salvation.

* * *

So, what'd you think? Mostly filler, I know, but it's needed to follow the storyline and show the other characters. More Zelloyd in the next Chapter, promise! Review?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3, as promised! Special thanks to those who reviewed – you guys are awesome!

I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

* * *

Hours later, the group landed in the outskirts surrounding the Tower. After storing the Rheairds, the group gathered loosely around Lloyd.

"Alright, you guys. This is it. Everybody ready?" Lloyd asked, looking in turn at each one of them.

After a chorus of yes's and hell yeah's, Lloyd led the group to the steps leading into the Tower.

"Lloyd, wait. Look at the entrance." Raine said.

Lloyd paused and examined the doorway. At first he didn't notice anything, but then he caught the flash of light that could only be the sun reflecting off a blade.

"Damn. They're guarding the door." Lloyd said.

"Really? You can tell that from here? I'm impressed, Lloyd." Genis said.

"Shut up! Can't you guys see the sun reflecting off their blades? And Raine noticed it first." Lloyd said.

"Yes, I see it now." Regal said.

"Heh. Nice going, Sis." Genis said.

"Yeah, Professor. Good job!" Colette added.

"Thank you, but this does present a bit of a problem. At this rate, our escape route will be blocked." Raine said.

"Look! Here come some more!" Sheena said, as flickers of movement could now be seen.

Lloyd looked around, trying to think of a way to get in without raising the alarm from the start and causing all exits to be blocked for their escape later, when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He quickly drew his swords, and faced that direction.

"Enemy detected." Presea said.

"What? Where?" Zelos said, looking around wildly.

"There. I saw something… A flash of blue." Lloyd said.

Yuan emerged from the boulder he was hiding behind. "Heh. You're pretty good. It's hard to sneak up on Kratos, as well." He said.

Lloyd just stared at him.

"Lloyd! This way!" Yuan said, disappearing once more behind the stone.

Zelos said, "Lloyd, let's go. The Renegades are against Cruxis, remember? Yuan isn't our enemy right now. Maybe he knows another way in."

Lloyd nodded, but kept his swords out just in case. The group headed behind the boulder to see Yuan standing before a small entryway.

"This passage leads to a maintenance tunnel that connects to the Tower." Yuan said.

"Why are you helping us?" Lloyd asked.

"Now that the truth about me is known to Yggdrasill, the only way left to save Martel is to work with you. Don't think that I want to be your friend or anything." Yuan said.

Lloyd shook his head and said, "You have a real negative attitude, you know that? Well, whatever. Thanks for helping us. Let's go everyone!"

The group, led by Lloyd, made their way past Yuan and into the Tower. After stealthily climbing all those stairs, they finally made it to the main altar, where the Eternal Sword rested.

Zelos stepped forward, to the front of the group, and said, "Leave this to me."

"Leave it to you? What are you gonna do?" Sheena asked, while Lloyd stared at Zelos, puzzled as well.

"I figured something like this might happen, so I prepared a little something the last time we were here." Zelos said.

"Prepared… something?" Lloyd asked.

"Lloyd… just leave this to me." Zelos said. He approached the center of the room, where not too long ago, Colette had prayed and given up her heart and memories. He turned back to the group, and with one last long look at Lloyd, who was staring at him in confusion, said, "Colette. I'll need your help. Come here for a second."

"Huh? Oh, okay." Colette said, rushing over to stand next to him.

A giant magic circle appeared beneath their feet, and another appeared on the altar, at which Pronyma and a few angles appeared.

As the group stared up in shock, Pronyma said, "Good work, Chosen. Now, bring her to me."

"Sure thing!" Zelos said, and Colette disappeared through the circle to appear next to Pronyma, and was surrounded by angels.

"Zelos! Colette!" Lloyd yelled.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sheena yelled.

The group rushed forward and stood, weapons ready, before Zelos.

"Oh, shut up. I'm just putting myself on the winning side. What you're trying to do is hopeless and meaningless. What's the big deal? Colette wanted to be a sacrifice, remember?" Zelos said.

"Zelos! You traitor! How can you do this?" Lloyd yelled.

"Aw, give it a rest, Lloyd. Did you forget what I said in Flanoir? I side with the strongest." Zelos said.

_Lloyd… It's okay… I like you. You're a good guy, a good person… Heh. Well, you finally admit it… I've wanted to do that since I saw you…_

Lloyd just stared at Zelos as all of those words – Zelos' words – ran through his mind. He remembered the feeling of Zelos' hand in his, the feel of his chest, their bodies touching, of Zelos' lips on his. He remembered Zelos promising to always be with him once the worlds were saved. Lloyd numbly listened to Pronyma claim that Zelos was their spy from the very beginning.

"Is that true? It's not true, right? She's lying…" Lloyd said.

"I side with the strongest. It was simply a matter of weighing the Renegades, Cruxis, and all of you." Zelos said.

His words were like blows to Lloyd, stunning him into silence.

"You were leaking information to the Renegades, too? I can't believe you! You were always a pervert, but I never doubted that you were a good person when it came down to it!" Sheena said.

"Why, thank you, my sweet, voluptuous hunny. But in the end, I choose this side. Because Mithos promised to release me from my fate as a Chosen." Zelos said.

"You hate being the Chosen so much that you would betray your friends?" Regal asked in horror.

"Oh yeah, I do. It's because of that title that my life has been a total joke. I can't stand it. I can't wait for Seles to become the Chosen instead." Zelos said.

"You're lying! I still trust you, you hear me? Don't you remember what I told you in Flanoir? Chosens lead really difficult lives, but none of it has been your fault! And you told me you wouldn't run away! That you would stay with… with us! You're the one that told me I could trust you!" Lloyd yelled.

"What are you, stupid?" Zelos said, but he couldn't make himself look at Lloyd. Instead, he looked up at Pronyma.

"Let's get going, Lady Pronyma." He said.

Zelos appeared next to Pronyma and Colette. As they faded away into the warp, Colette screamed, "Lloyd! Lloyd! Lloyd!"

Before they could do anything, the angels descended and surrounded their group.

"Disappear unto nothingness." One said as it prepared an attack.

Suddenly a cloud of smoke appeared, and when it cleared, several members of Mizuho were standing with the group.

"Everyone! What are you doing here?" Sheena exclaimed.

One of the ninjas stepped forward. "We'll explain late. Here they come!" Orochi said.

Lloyd finally managed to tear his eyes away from the place where Zelos had stood. "Damn, regroup!" He yelled, then shot forward to attack the angels.

Even without Zelos and Colette, the remaining six had no trouble dispatching the angels, and with the added help from the ninjas, the battle was over quickly.

"Is everyone okay?" Lloyd asked, looking around.

"Why are you all here?" Sheena asked.

"Yes, we're fine. And we received a message saying that you were about to head to the final battle. Right now, you must hurry and save Colette." Orochi said.

"And Zelos, too." Lloyd said.

"Lloyd! You can't honestly mean that you still trust him? He betrayed us!" Raine said.

"Yeah! He took Colette! He's a traitor!" Genis said.

Lloyd shook his head. "You guys don't understand. What he said now doesn't add up to what he told me in Flanoir. Plus, we thought Kratos had betrayed us, and it turned out that he had been helping us. I refuse to believe that Zelos has turned on us." He said.

"Lloyd… I don't think it's wise to cling to a false hope that Zelos will return to us." Regal said.

"It's not a false hope! Orochi! Who told you we were heading to the final battle?" Lloyd demanded.

"Ah… well… I'm not supposed to say, but Zelos sent us word that you would be here and would possibly need our help." Orochi said.

"You see? He's not a traitor! Let's just go, okay? We all agree we need to save Colette, right? I'll save Zelos on my own, if I have to." Lloyd said.

"Lloyd…" Raine said.

"Lloyd, if you're really going to believe in that idiot Chosen… then I will, too. I've known him longer than you, and I can't believe he would let his friends down." Sheena said.

"Sheena, thanks. Everyone, let's go!" Lloyd said.

As they approached the magic circle, Presea asked, "Is it still active?"

"Let's hope so." Lloyd said. He stepped on it, clutching at the orb that hung beneath his clothes, and was instantly transported to the upper levels of the Tower, with the rest of his companions following him. _Zelos… Colette… We're coming_, Lloyd thought.

* * *

Aw, Lloyd's such a cutie :D So, what'd you think? Tower scene with a twist of Zelloyd. Sorry for not putting the battle into more detail, but it's really hard to write good battle scenes and since this was just a quick and easy fight (even in the game)… Anyways… review?


	4. Chapter 4

Woot! Chapter 4! Finally getting to some good stuffs!

I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

* * *

The group appeared in a small room inside the upper levels of the Tower. After looking around, they headed down the hallway, determined to make it to the top to save Colette… and find Zelos.

Suddenly Lloyd stopped walking, causing the others to stumble into him as they stopped as well.

"What's up?" Sheena asked.

"Look. There are tree roots and branches everywhere." Lloyd said.

"Hm. They must be fragments from that monstrous tree earlier. Perhaps the Sorcerer's Ring can clear them away?" Raine said.

"I'll give it a try." Lloyd said.

Lloyd shot a concentrated ball of energy from the Sorcerer's Ring, which immediately blasted the roots to bits.

"Nice call, Professor. Let's keep going." Lloyd said, as he and the rest of the group started forward once more. They came to a large room with a suspended bridge in the middle.

"It appears we need to cross this bridge in order to continue forward." Regal said.

The group nodded their ascent, and hopped up onto the bridge. Immediately, it began to shake, and the combined weight of everyone caused the bridge to tip down, bringing the group level with the doorway they had just come from.

"That was startling!" Genis said as they all jumped back off. The bridge, without their weight, resumed its natural position.

"It appears that this bridge is only supported in the center. It tilts because of our weight. If only we could find something to weigh it down with…" Raine said, studying it.

"Then how about we split into two groups, and have one group become the weight…" Lloyd suggested.

"And how do you plan to join up again? We should think of another way." Regal said.

As they all looked around, trying to find a solution, Genis noticed that Presea was staring up at the ceiling.

"What is it, Presea?" He asked.

"That…" Presea said, pointing to a large rock suspended in the air by some tree roots.

"I see! That does look like it would work." Lloyd said. He looked around for a way to reach the rock, and noticed a staircase on the left.

"Come on, guys. I think I found a way to drop that rock." Lloyd said, leading the group up the stairs.

They came to a platform that directly faced the suspended rock.

"Perfect. Genis, you blast the roots with some fire balls while I use the Sorcerer's Ring so that it drops onto the bridge, okay?" Lloyd said.

"Got it," Genis said, "Fire Ball!"

At the same time Lloyd fired the Ring and after a few more hits, the rock fell, causing the bridge to tilt.

"Let's hurry up and move on." Lloyd said.

The group returned to the stairs and made their way back to the bridge. They jumped up and walked around the rock. Once they hit the opposite end, the bridge shifted until it was in its normal position. The group easily jumped off and continued onward.

The next door led to a large open arena of sorts. As they walked to its center, Lloyd noticed movement along the walls.

"Wh…what's going on? Angels!" He said, as dozens of angels appeared and started toward them.

"Here they come!" Regal yelled, leaping into action against them. The others quickly joined him in battle, and soon defeated several angels.

"Dammit, there's no end in sight!" Lloyd said. For every one that the group took out, two more stepped up in its place.

Regal scanned the room. "Make a break for that passage!" He said.

"All right! Everyone! Fall back!" Lloyd yelled, and the group ran for the passage, until everyone was through but Lloyd and Regal.

"Regal!" Lloyd yelled, as the angels started to swarm around them. Pretty soon, they wouldn't be able to escape through the passageway.

"I'll hold them off here. Hurry!" Regal said, kicking on angel that had gotten too close.

"You know I can't leave you behind!" Lloyd cried, slashing at another angel.

"There's no time. You know that. You're the only one who can save Colette." Regal said.

"I know that! But I can't just leave my friend!" Lloyd said, slashing his swords.

"That's not what you're doing, I… I once wasn't able to protect someone very important to me. So this time, I'm going to succeed. I'm going to protect my friends." Regal said as he continued to attack.

"Regal…" Lloyd said, as the angels got closer, forcing them back a few steps.

"Lloyd, save Colette." Regal said.

Seeing no other way, Lloyd said, "All right. Regal, don't die. Don't make me go through the same pain you did, you hear me?"

Lloyd rushed through the passage and just as a group of angels were about to follow him, Regal attack the wall, causing a minor collapse of rock and debris to block the exit.

"Heh. You sure don't make things easy, Lloyd. I'm sorry, Alicia. It looks like it's still going to be a while before I join you…" Regal said, turning to face the army of angels.

"You shall not pass!" He yelled as he leapt into battle.

"Regal…" Lloyd said as he stared at the debris. Then he ran ahead and took the warp at the end of the passage that the others had fled through.

"Lloyd! Thank goodness you're alright! But where's Regal?" Raine said.

"He… He's not coming. He'll hold them off to give us some time." Lloyd said.

"What? We have to go back!" Genis said.

"I see…" Raine said.

"Genis, I want to go back, too. But we can't waste the time Regal has given us." Sheena said.

"I agree. Let us continue." Presea said.

"O…Okay." Genis said, hanging his head.

Lloyd took a deep breath. "Let's go, you guys." He said.

They continued forward, blasting the roots that were in their way, until they made it to another warp.

"It looks like we'll have to keep warping up each level until we reach the top, where undoubtedly they've taken Colette." Raine said.

"…Yeah." Lloyd said.

They stepped on the warp, and appeared at the top of a spiral staircase. They started down, and after many long minutes they finally made it to the bottom.

"I thought we were supposed to be going up, not down." Lloyd panted.

"It appears that the levels are designed to be intricate and confusing. Certainly Yggdrasill doesn't want it to be easy to reach him. Let's just keep going." Raine said.

They walked on, and came to another bridge spanning a deep and dark chasm, though it appeared to be firmly constructed.

As they started across, however, a tree branch shot down from above, and almost hit them.

"Whoa! This thing won't let us through!" Lloyd said.

"Hang on! This thing looks like leftovers from earlier." Sheena said, examining it.

"You mean… on of the Giant Tree's…" Lloyd said, staring at it in horror.

"Yep, no doubt about it. Just stand back and leave this to me!" Sheena said. She focused, then began summoning. "Disciple of everlasting ice! Hammer of godly thunder! Servant of Mother Earth! Envoy from the dark abyss! I command thee! Gatherest before me and unleash thine power!"

"Whoa! What are you doing?" Lloyd asked, as the Summon Spirits fed their energy to Sheena.

"My impression of the Mana Cannon. Well, it won't be nearly as powerful, but it should be enough to take care of this thing. Lloyd, when I give the signal, run underneath it. Got it?" Sheena said.

"All right. But what about you?" Lloyd asked.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Get ready, here we go! Now!" Sheena yelled.

Lloyd and the rest of the group dashed under the tree remnant just as Sheena unleashed her stored energy. They made it to the other side before it crashed down into the chasm, taking the bridge with it.

"Sheena! Are you okay?" Lloyd asked from the other side of the room.

"…Yeah, I'm all right." Sheena said.

Once they knew Sheena was okay, the rest of the group went on ahead through the next warp, leaving Lloyd and Sheena to catch up.

"That was amazing!" Lloyd yelled.

"Phew. Just don't ask me to do it again, okay? Phew. That drained all my mana. I'm going to rest for just a – Ahh!" Sheena yelled, as a tendril of the tree shot up from the chasm and grabbed Sheena by the ankle. She was dragged down, and just barely managed to grab a root dangling in the side of the chasm.

"Sheena! Hang on, I'll…" Lloyd said, interrupted by the sound of Sheena's laughter.

"Wh…what's wrong with you? Why are you laughing?" Lloyd said.

"No, I was just remembering the time when we first met. It looks like I have a strong affinity for falling into holes." Sheena said.

"Just hang on. I'll be right there!" Lloyd shouted, running to the edge that went around the chasm.

"Don't worry about me. Just hurry up and go rescue Colette." Sheena said.

"This is not the time to act all tough!" Lloyd said angrily.

"I'm not acting. It's just like the last time when I climbed up from the bottom of that pit and I took you on. And this time… I won't miss the main event." Sheena said.

"…You better be telling the truth." Lloyd said.

"Of course! You better leave me a piece of the action! And smack that idiot of a Chosen for me when you see him." Sheena said.

Knowing he had little choice but to trust her, Lloyd said, "Okay. I'll be waiting for you, you got that?"

He ran to the warp and just as his body was stretching and starting to fade, he heard Sheena say, "I'm so stupid. Stubborn to the very end. I really need to start acting more feminine at times like this and let him rescue me. Heh, that wouldn't be my style, now, would it? Lloyd… good luck."

"Sheena!" Lloyd cried as he fully warped up.

"Lloyd! What happened?" Genis asked.

"Sheena… The tree that she destroyed reached up and caught her leg. She was trying to pull herself up from the chasm when she convinced me that saving Colette was more important and to go on ahead without her." Lloyd said.

"…I'm sorry, Lloyd, but she was right. Colette might not have a lot of time left. I'm sure Sheena will be fine." Raine said.

"Thanks, Professor. Come on, let's hurry up and save Colette and Zelos." Lloyd said.

Genis and Raine shared a look, but didn't comment on the mention of Zelos. Together with Lloyd and Presea, they continued on, hoping there weren't too many warps left before they reached the top.

They came to a large room with a huge console in the middle. Lloyd ignored it and ran to the door.

"Dammit, open!" He shouted.

"It looks like you can control it from here. Leave this to me." Raine said as she started to press buttons on the console.

"Professor Sage, hurry!" Lloyd said.

"Don't rush me. This is it." Raine said as the door slid open to reveal another door.

"You did it! Whoa!" Lloyd said. As soon as the door was all the way open, the room shook and a section of the floor dropped away, leaving Raine gasping and shaken.

"Sis!" Genis yelled.

"Professor Sage! Are you okay?" Lloyd asked.

"I'm fine. I just made a minor input error." Raine answered.

"Be careful, okay?" Lloyd said. Genis worriedly studied his sister.

"It's okay now. I'm opening the next door." Raine said as she fiddled with the control once more.

The door opened, revealing a monster.

"Another input error?" Lloyd asked.

"No! Now hurry up and defeat it!" Raine yelled.

Lloyd and Presea charged while Genis prepared a spell. The battle was quick, if not messy work. Lloyd looked through the second open door at the third.

Just as he was about to ask the Professor how she was doing on this next one, he looked back and noticed that more of the floor had dropped away.

"This is quite an intricate trap." Raine muttered as she continued pressing buttons.

"Professor Sage, are you really making that many mistakes? Wait, are you…" Lloyd said, to be interrupted by Raine saying, "There's no time to worry about that! I'm opening the next one!"

The door slid open, revealing another and a monster as well.

"Not again!" Lloyd said, as he and Presea charged the monster. After making quick work of it, he turned back and saw that only one piece of flooring between the Professor and the doors was still intact.

"What? Professor Sage! I knew it!" He cried, as Genis said, "Raine! What's happening?"

"Lloyd, Genis, you need to focus on saving Colette right now. Don't get distracted!" Raine said.

"Raine!" Genis yelled.

"Grr!" Lloyd yelled, then turned to face the latest monster that had appeared when the last door opened.

After destroying it, he shoved Presea and Genis through to the warp.

"Don't worry. I'll get the Professor and we'll be right behind you." Lloyd said.

"Lloyd. Okay." Genis said, as he and Presea warped out.

Turning back, Lloyd yelled, "Professor Sage, its okay now! Hurry up and come – Professor Sage!"

The room was shaking and the console where Raine was standing was the only part the floor that hadn't fallen away.

"Lloyd, this room will soon collapse. Hurry up and go." Raine said calmly.

"No! I'm not leaving you behind! I don't want to sacrifice anyone anymore!" Lloyd yelled.

"Sacrifice? When did anyone become a sacrifice? I believe in you ideals. A world that would accept those of us caught in the middle. I believe in your vision of the world. It has become my hope. I came all the way here in order to realize that dream. I've no regrets." Raine said.

"Saving the world won't mean anything if we lose you! What will Genis do?" Lloyd said.

"My soul will live on in the world you create. But if your ideals die, then my hope dies as well. Living on without hope is worse than death, don't you think?" Raine said.

"I… I don't understand that at all!" Lloyd shouted.

"If you don't understand, then make use of your remaining life to think about what it means for a person to live. That's my final lesson to you as your teacher. Now, go. Do as your teacher says." Raine said.

The room was shaking much more violently now, and hating himself, Lloyd turned toward the warp.

"Professor Sage… I'll never forget you!" Lloyd shouted as he ran to the warp and left her to die, not hearing her say, "The rest is in your hands, my precious student…" as the ceiling started to collapse.

"Lloyd! Lloyd! Where's Raine?" Genis shouted.

"Genis… I… I'm sorry, I…" Lloyd said, his head hanging in defeat.

"N…no. No! Lloyd! She's right behind you, right? Please, she's okay, isn't she?" Genis screamed.

"The floor completely collapsed. There was no way I could get to her. She told me to run. She said she would live on in the world we make, and that living without hope was worse than death." Lloyd said.

"Raine…" Genis said, tears streaming down his face.

"Genis. Raine used her life to protect us. We must not waste that. We have to save Colette." Presea said.

"Y…yeah. Sis… I'm sorry." Genis said. He took a deep breath. "Let's go, Lloyd. We have to find Colette."

"Genis. Yeah, okay. Let's go." Lloyd said.

They walked down the hall, each reflecting on all the people they lost to make it this far. They came to another door.

"It's locked from the inside… It's no good, it won't budge." Lloyd said as he tried to get the door to open.

"Lloyd, look up there." Presea said.

"That?" Lloyd asked, referring to the small ventilation grate on the side of the door.

"I may be able to enter the room from there. I'll give it a try." Presea said.

"But it's too dangerous to go alone." Lloyd said, shaking his head.

"I'll be all right. Besides, I'm the only one that can fit through there." Presea said.

"Okay, but be careful." Lloyd said. He bent over to give Presea a boost.

"I will." Presea said as she disappeared into the vent.

A few minutes later the door opened.

"All right! Let's go, Genis." Lloyd said, entering the room. Immediately, he saw that some remnants of the tree had hidden in this room, and had grabbed Presea, trying to pull her through a small hole in the wall. Also, the only other way out of the room beside the way they had come was collapsing, as the ceiling lowered to the floor, with only Presea's axe keeping it at bay, but by the looks of things, it wouldn't last long.

"Presea!" Lloyd yelled, rushing over to her.

"Stay back! Don't come over here. Please, hurry! Go!" Presea yelled, causing Lloyd and Genis to halt their progression towards her.

"No… I…" Lloyd said, not knowing what to do but realizing he had less than a minute to decide as Presea's axe started to tremble from the weight of the ceiling.

"Lloyd, you are a kind person. But if you allow your kindness to interfere with your judgment, you're merely weak. You have something you must do. Please do not forget that. …Please go. If you don't, I'll lose my respect for you. I'll be fine. So please, hurry…" Presea said, jerking a bit as the tree pulled harder.

"I'm sorry, Presea!" Lloyd yelled as he dragged Genis to their way out.

"Lloyd… whatever happens, you mustn't give up. Stand and fight. I know you can do it." Presea said.

After forcing Genis to slide under the ceiling to the warp on the other side, Lloyd said, "Presea, I promise. I'll rescue Colette, no matter what. And I'll make a world where everyone can live freely."

Then he turned and slid under as well, and had barely made it through when the axe gave way and the ceiling crashed down, cutting Presea off from them.

"Why? Why do we have to keep losing everyone?" Genis cried.

"We have to keep going. We have to save Colette, for everyone's sakes." Lloyd said.

"Yeah…" Genis said.

Together, they stepped on the warp. They made their way through this area until they came to a large room with three branches: one going left, one right, and one straight. Genis followed Lloyd as he went straight. Suddenly, a giant blue wall of energy appeared in front of them.

"Another trap?" Lloyd said.

"It's coming towards us!" Genis said.

"Whoa, run!" Lloyd said.

Lloyd ran to the left, and Genis went right. Blue walls appeared in those directions, too.

"It's no good. There's one over here, too." Genis said.

They ran to go back the way they had come, but another wall appeared there, too. The four walls pushed forward, boxing them in the middle of the room. They turned and faced the way they had originally gone. Through the blue energy, they could just make out the next warp.

"We'll just have to attack it at the same time and smash our way through!" Lloyd said.

"Is that gonna work?" Genis asked.

"Dwarven Vow #16: You can do anything if you try! We're dead anyway if we fail. Give it all you've got!" Lloyd said.

"Heh. That's just like you, Lloyd. Okay! Let's do it!" Genis said, charging up a spell.

"…Lloyd." Genis said.

"Wh…what?" Lloyd asked.

"Ah, nothing. I'm ready." Genis said.

"Okay! One, two… Demon Fang!" Lloyd shouted, just as Genis yelled, "Fire Ball!"

"Now!" Lloyd yelled, rushing to the small opening they had created. He ran through, then laughed.

"See, look, it worked!" He said triumphantly.

"It was pretty good for one of your plans, Lloyd. The only flaw was that you didn't take into account my lack of physical reflexes." Genis said, as Lloyd turned around to see the hole gone and Genis still trapped.

"Genis!" Lloyd said, standing on one side of the energy field while Genis was stuck on the other.

"Heh. I messed up." Genis said.

"You… did that to get me out?" Lloyd asked.

"N…no!" Genis said.

"Liar! You knew it would end up like this. Why did you do it?" Lloyd asked.

"If you'd been in my place, you'd have done the same thing. You always jump in without thinking to save someone in trouble. But it was that Lloyd that I looked up to. I wanted to be like you." Genis said.

"Genis…" Lloyd said.

"Now hurry up! Before it's too late." Genis said.

"No way! I can't leave you behind!" Lloyd said.

"I said, go! I'm… not like you. I'm a coward. When it comes down to it, my body starts shaking… I don't want you to see me looking pathetic in the end." Genis said.

"Genis…" Lloyd said.

"Go! I said, go!" Genis yelled.

"You… you fool!" Lloyd said, as he turned and ran to the warp. As he was disappearing, he heard Genis say, "You were my best friend, Lloyd."

"Dammit!" Lloyd said as he fully appeared at the other end of the warp. He looked around, and thought about the sacrifices that had let him get this far.

"From here on out, looks like it's a one way road. I'm coming for you, Colette. And Zelos… I'm coming for you, too." Lloyd said.

He entered a room with a narrow walkway leading to what looked like a blank wall.

As soon as Lloyd's foot touched the walkway, part of it disappeared. Determined to make it, no matter what, Lloyd leapt over the hole and ran, dodging arrows that were suddenly shooting at him. He made it to the end, but a last arrow shot at him from straight ahead and hit his chest.

"Ugh! Augh… I'm alive… But how?" Lloyd said, getting up and feeling his chest.

"This is… Zelos' orb… He protected me… Zelos…" Lloyd said, as he remembered Zelos giving him the small orb to wear around his neck. _Zelos…_ Lloyd thought.

Lloyd approached the wall and noticed a sword sticking out of it. _What's this?_ He thought. _Is it some kind of trap? Damn, there's no time to be worrying. I've got to rescue Colette and Zelos, for everyone's sake!_

As soon as Lloyd touched the sword, it fell to the ground, revealing a door. He entered and saw Yggdrasill and Pronyma standing around a large machine that was connected to the Great Seed and had Colette locked inside.

"The mana charge is complete, my lord." Pronyma said.

"Good. Do it." Yggdrasill ordered.

"Let her go!" Lloyd yelled, rushing forward with his swords drawn.

"Lloyd? How did you get in here? The lock to this room can only be opened by a member of the Cruxis high order!" Yggdrasill yelled.

"None of you business! What matters is that your selfish dream ends here!" Lloyd yelled back.

"A futile effort…" Yggdrasill said as he raised his hand to blast Lloyd. Just as Lloyd raised his hands to protect himself and was waiting for the pain, Yggdrasill was suddenly hit by three fire balls.

"Zel… Genis!" Lloyd cried. Up on the second floor of the room, Genis, Sheena, Raine, Regal, and Presea emerged.

"We won't let you lay a finger on him!" Genis yelled.

"Guys! How? You're okay?" Lloyd asked, happy that his friends weren't hurt, but a little disappointed that Zelos was not with them.

"I told you I wouldn't miss the main event!" Sheena said, grinning.

"You did not want to share the same pain I do, correct?" Regal said.

"I can't possibly miss seeing the new world that's about to be made." Raine said.

Presea added, "I can still fight. As long as I can fight, I will stay by your side."

Genis laughed. "Heh. Pretty good, huh?"

"Everyone! All right! Let's take him on together!" Lloyd yelled.

As the group made its way down to Lloyd, Yggdrasill sighed and turn to Pronyma. "What a sorry lot. It's your fault they're still alive. Kill them!"

"Y…yes, sir!" Pronyma answered, and promptly rushed forward to attack the reunited group. But she was no match for the six of them, especially since they had the added motivation of Colette being so close to being saved.

Pronyma lay on the floor, bleeding from several wounds and in pain as the group rushed past her to try to free Colette.

"Lord Yggdrasill… it hurts… Please… Help me…" She said.

Yggdrasill ignored her as the machine containing Colette glowed. "I've succeeded! Martel is awake!" He shouted.

"No!" Lloyd yelled, at the same time Pronyma said, "Lord Yggdrasill… Mithos, please…"

Yggdrasill looked down at her as if she was a bug on his shoe. "Only my former companions can call me by that name! Get out of my sight!" He said as he struck the fatal blow.

"That's so cruel…" Presea said.

Lloyd, however, barely registered any of this, as the machine had opened and Colette emerged, but with the consciousness of Martel.

"No… Colette… It can't be true!" Lloyd said, reaching for her.

But she kept her eyes on Yggdrasill, and with Martel's voice asked, "Mithos, what have you done?"

For once, Yggdrasill faltered. "Martel? Oh, you mean my body. I hastened my growth to have an appearance befitting the leader of Cruxis. Wait just a moment. I'll switch back to my old form."

Yggdrasill's form flickered, and was suddenly replaced by that of Mithos.

"No, Mithos. Not that. I've been watching all this time. Unable to move, unable to do anything. I watched all those foolish things you've done. Have you forgotten everything? We stopped the Ancient War because we dreamt of a world where humans, elves, and those in between could live in harmony." Martel said.

"What are you saying? This after all the trouble I went to prepare a new body for you? But I see… you don't like that one, do you?" Mithos said.

The group watched Martel, as Colette, shake her head, and despair came into her eyes.

"Mithos, please. Listen to me. What you have done… is wrong. It is not what we strived for." Martel said.

"…Wrong? Are you rejecting me?" Mithos said.

"No, I want you to remember. Please, stop this and become your old self again…" Martel said.

"Martel, even you reject me? No… Martel would never say something like that…" Mithos said. Then he laughed cruelly. "I won't allow that, do you hear me?"

Just as Lloyd decided that he needed to step forward to stop the crazy person Mithos had become, someone appeared in the side doorway and quickly rushed forward and placed something onto Colette's Cruxis Crystal.

"Zelos!" Lloyd cried, taking a step towards him.

Zelos grinned. "You okay, Lloyd?" He asked.

"What are you doing? I thought you wanted me to set you free of your fate at a Chosen!" Mithos yelled.

"Oh, you know what? I changed my mind. That won't matter after we beat the snot out of you anyway." Zelos said.

"Zelos! I knew you'd come back to me… us!" Lloyd yelled.

"Sorry about all that. It was the only way I could get my hands on this. Here." Zelos said, tossing something at Lloyd.

Lloyd caught it and examined the piece of stone in his hand.

"Refine that with dwarven arts, and it'll let even a human use the Eternal Sword!" Zelos proclaimed.

"You… are you saying you did all that just to get this for me?" Lloyd asked, stunned.

"That's right. You and I were right all along to believe in him. This stupid Chosen released us from those traps back there." Sheena said.

Lloyd looked around at his companions to see them nod their agreement, and he realized that when Zelos had appeared, he and Mithos were the only ones who were shocked.

"But it is true that I deceived you. I've held you guys back for a long time. I figured I'd at least have to do something like that to make up for it." Zelos said.

Lloyd shook his head. "No. I told you; I trust you. All you had to do was come back. But if you really want to make it up to us, then hurry up and help us fight!" He said.

Zelos grinned. "You got it!" He said.

Colette's body began to glow, and everyone's attention reverted back to her as Zelos rejoined the group.

"Damn you! Give me back my sister!" Mithos cried.

"Goodbye, Mithos. This is my final wish. Please, return this twisted world back to its original form." Martel said.

"No! Martel! Don't go!" Mithos yelled.

As Martel's consciousness left Colette's body, her voice floated throughout the room: "If things were going to end up like this, perhaps the elves should never have left Derris-Kharlan. If they hadn't, people like us would never have been born…"

Colette collapsed onto the ground as her consciousness slowly took over her own body once more.

"So… so that was it…" Mithos said, then laughed. "Martel, you just wanted to leave this filthy world and return to Derris-Kharlan… Yes, of course. That world is the homeland of all elven blood."

"Mithos…?" Genis tentatively said, well aware that the half-elf had gone mad.

"Yes, dearest sister… Let's forget these filthy creatures and return home together. To Derris-Kharlan." Mithos said, ignoring Genis and the others completely as he concentrated on the Great Seed.

Colette stood up, and though a bit wobbly, appeared fine. "Everyone!" She called. "We have to stop Mithos. Martel is calling to me! Martel wants us to stop him!"

Mithos spared her a withering stare. "Shut up! Martel would never say something like that. You miserable failure!"

"She did say it! She was crying! She said, 'Please don't make everyone suffer any longer!'" Colette said.

Mithos ignored her this time and started to send the Great Seed to Derris-Kharlan.

"Lloyd, you understand, right?" Zelos said urgently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If we lose the Great Seed, we'll betray the Renegades' hope."

"And we of Mizuho won't stand it, either." Sheena added.

"Without it, the Giant Tree will not germinate." Raine said.

"Without mana, the land will die." Presea said.

"If your goal is the reunification of the world, then…" Regal said.

"I know! I know! We're gonna stop Mithos with everything we've got! Let's go!" Lloyd said, then rushed forward and slashed at Mithos with his swords.

"I won't let you interfere." Mithos said, moving out of the way. His body glowed, and he transformed into Yggdrasill.

"I will kill you all!" Yggdrasill screamed as he threw himself into battle against Lloyd and his companions.

Lloyd, Presea, Regal, and Sheena rushed forward to perform the frontal assault, while Colette, Genis, Zelos, and Raine charged up their spells. After several attempts to attack him, and a few injuries, the party managed to corner him and attack until he was defeated.

"How? I cannot lose." Yggdrasill said.

His body started to fade into his Cruxis Crystal as he said, "I'm going home… I'm going home with my sister…"

Once he was fully absorbed, Genis picked up the Crystal.

"It's over." Lloyd said, turning to his friends.

"Is it?" Kratos asked from the doorway. "The worlds are still split. The Giant Tree has not yet germinated. What exactly is it that's over?"

Turning to him, Lloyd said, "Good timing. I wanted to ask you something. What was it that you saw in Mithos? Why did you help him seal Origin?"

"Mithos was my apprentice and a valuable friend. Isn't that enough?" Kratos said.

"Do you forgive anything someone does, no matter how horrible, just because he's your friend?" Lloyd asked.

"I don't see a need to explain myself further. If you want to release Origin's seal, you must defeat me." Kratos said in return as he turned to leave.

"Kratos! Wait!" Lloyd yelled.

"I'll be waiting for you before the seal." Kratos said, then left.

Lloyd just stared after him, and the group was silent until Zelos finally said, "Lloyd. Let's head back. Okay?"

"Yeah…" Lloyd said.

The group took the master warp, presumably Yggdrasill's, and ended up back in the main altar room in the base of the Tower. They turned and descended the stairs, finally coming outside.

"By the way, Zelos… Where did you learn a method for humans to equip the Eternal Sword?" Raine asked as they gathered a little ways from the Tower.

"I really think it'd be better if I didn't say." Zelos answered.

"What? What are you talking about?" Lloyd said, turning to him.

"Yeah, that's a strange thing to say." Genis commented.

"Go to Heimdall. Everything should become clear there." Zelos said, looking only at Lloyd.

"…All right." Lloyd said. "Let's go."

* * *

Whew, that was massive! I couldn't find a good spot to split it so I just kept going… Anyways, sorry for bailing on the fight scene, just couldn't get it to work right. And yay, Zelos is back! :D Review?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5! Not as massive as the last Chapter but still pretty long. Enjoy!

I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

* * *

After a quick zip across the ocean aboard the Rheairds, the group approached the Ymir Forest. After landing, they made they're way through quickly, having been here before, and made it to Heimdall in the last hours before the sun set.

The Elf Elder was waiting for them at the gate.

"Lloyd, welcome." He called as the group approached. "Your visitor has already entered Torent Forest, where Origin sleeps."

"…Thank you." Lloyd said.

Raine and Genis turned to depart from the others.

"Then we'll see you when you get back…" Raine said.

"Wait, Professor, Genis. Elder, please let these two into the village. It's only for now. They're my closest friends, and I want them to be there when I face off against Kratos!" Lloyd said.

One of the guards sneered, "Unthinkable. No half-elf may enter our village."

"That kind of attitude gave rise to Cruxis!" Lloyd yelled.

"What did you say?" The guard replied, raising his spear.

"Stop, both of you!" The Elf Elder said. In the answering silence, he said, "The chasm that separates us from the half-elves is deep and dark. Nevertheless, there is reason in what you say. Thus, from now until Origin is released, I will grant these two entrance to the village."

"Thank you!" Lloyd said.

"However, they may not use any of our facilities. Is that clear?" The Elder said.

"…That's fine." Raine replied, while Genis muttered, "Gee, thanks."

The group entered the village and stood in its main center.

"Well, let's go to where Kratos is…" Lloyd said.

"Lloyd, wait! You should relax a little first. You're about to fight your father, you know?" Zelos said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Lloyd shrugged it off. "I know that!" He snapped.

Zelos stared at Lloyd with a hurt expression.

"Zelos is right. Don't be hasty, Lloyd." Regal said.

"The fate of the worlds rest on your battle with Kratos. Let's rest here tonight and you can sort out your feelings. This will be the end of our journey, after all." Raine said.

Lloyd sighed. "All right."

"Then we'll meet at the inn in the morning." Raine said.

The group then split up as everyone went their own ways, exploring the village. Zelos stayed with Lloyd, however, and soon the two we the only ones of their group left in the center.

"Well, what'd you want to do, Lloyd? Walk around, or go to the inn?" Zelos asked.

"I think I'll walk for a bit. I need to think by myself for a while." Lloyd said.

"Oh. Okay. I'll be at the inn if you need me, or, you know, just want to talk." Zelos said, disappointed that Lloyd didn't want his company. "But, Lloyd?"

"Yeah?" Lloyd said.

"If you're having trouble finding the answer, just chant my special magic words." Zelos said.

"Special magic words?" Lloyd asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Whatever will be, will be." With that grain of wisdom, Zelos made his way to the inn, leaving Lloyd alone.

Lloyd took a deep breath and watched Zelos' retreating figure. _I shouldn't have yelled at him_, Lloyd thought. _I'll apologize to him tomorrow_.

Lloyd looked around, then started to just aimlessly walk through Heimdall, not really going in any particular direction. He saw Genis sitting by a bend in the river that flowed through the village, and made his way over to him. He sat down in the grass next to him.

"Hey. You know how that say, 'He who chases two hares won't catch either'?" Genis said.

Distracted by other thoughts, Lloyd said, "Hairs? How do you chase hairs? You mean chase someone and grab them by the hair?"

"You know, Lloyd, sometimes I think you are a true genius." Genis deadpanned.

"Heh. Thanks, Genis." Lloyd said, the sarcasm going completely over his head.

"That wasn't a compliment! What it means is, if you're greedy and try to get everything, you'll fail. Like me…" Genis said.

"Genis?" Lloyd said, turning to face him completely.

"I wanted to be friends with both you and Mithos. Mithos was the first friend I've ever had that was my race… But in the end, with my own hands, I…" Genis said.

"I'm sorry, Genis. He was your friend, and I…" Lloyd said.

"I don't want you to apologize for that." Genis said, pulling something out of his pocket and staring at it.

"Is that… Mithos' Cruxis Crystal?" Lloyd asked, looking at it as well.

"I'm sorry. I picked it up in the Tower of Salvation, but I just couldn't bring myself to destroy it. I took it with me. I thought, I'd at least show him the regenerated world…" Genis said.

"I… see." Lloyd said, looking back out at the river.

"Lloyd, don't do anything you'll regret. That's all I wanted to say." Genis said, then got up and left Lloyd alone to his thoughts.

After sitting there a few minutes, Lloyd got up and resumed his wanderings through the village. He noticed a large windmill up ahead and decided to check it out. As he got closer, he could see Sheena standing there looking at it as well. He walked over to her, and she turned to study him.

"Hey, are you all right?" Sheena asked.

"What?" Lloyd asked, dropping his gaze from the windmill and focusing on Sheena. "Yeah…"

"Sorry. You're not someone who would answer that question with a 'no'. I'm so stupid." Sheena said.

"Sheena… No, I'm really okay. I just have… hesitations." Lloyd said.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course. Anyone would be confused. This thing with Kratos was so sudden." Sheena said.

Lloyd shook his head. "But there's no time for it." He said. "I have to decide. I can't waiver back and forth wanting to save both, like the way I was with Colette."

"A father and son battling to the death… it's horrible." Sheena said.

"Sheena… You don't have to make yourself feel bad about it. Thank you. I'll think long and hard about it. I'll find an answer that won't make you feel that way again…" Lloyd said.

"I'm sorry I couldn't cheer you up…" Sheena said.

"No, don't worry about it. Thanks." Lloyd said.

They both stood there awkwardly studying the windmill, until finally Lloyd said, "It's getting late. I think I'm going to go to the inn now and try to rest."

"Okay. See you in the morning." Sheena said.

Lloyd walked to the inn, and was a little surprised to see Zelos standing at its entrance.

"Are you… waiting for me?" Lloyd asked.

"Nah, I'm waiting for my other boyfriend." Zelos said with a wink.

"Zelos!" Lloyd said, looking around to see if anyone overheard, but none of the elves were paying any attention to them.

"Relax. No one's listening to us." Zelos said, grinning. Sobering, he asked, "How are you doing?"

Taking a deep breath, Lloyd said, "Honestly, I don't know. Thanks for giving me some time alone. I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"Don't worry about it; I'm more worried about you." Zelos said.

"Heh. Thanks." Lloyd said.

"So… you going in to get some rest?" Zelos asked.

"Yeah… Yeah. I still have some thinking to do, and I should try to sleep." Lloyd said.

"Okay then. Good night." Zelos said.

"Yeah. G'nite." Lloyd said.

He walked past Zelos and into the inn. The person at the desk told him where his room was, and he headed to it. It was a medium-sized room, with a decent sized bed, a dresser, a desk and chair, and some big lounge chairs. Lloyd took off his jacket and gloves, and lay on the bed in his undershirt and pants, not bothering to remove his shoes. He stared at the Exsphere on his left hand. _Mom_, Lloyd thought. _What should I do? The worlds will die if we don't release Origin, but doing that means fighting Dad. I don't want to fight him, but I don't see how to avoid it. What if he dies? I didn't know he was my dad for the whole journey, but he was always there for me when I needed him. What should I do? Mom, tell me what to do._

Lloyd lay awake in bed as the village got dark and quiet. He had just closed his eyes to try to get some rest when he heard someone lightly knock on his door.

"What is it?" Lloyd called, getting up and going to the door.

Zelos entered. "Sorry. Did I wake you?" He asked.

Lloyd shook his head. "No. I couldn't really get to sleep."

"Then could I talk to you for a sec?" Zelos asked.

"Okay, just for a little while." Lloyd said. He grabbed his jacket and gloves, and the two left the inn. Zelos led him to a park area with a few benches that looked out at the river.

"Sorry about calling you out here in the middle of the night." Zelos said as he sat down.

Lloyd sat next to him. "Nah, don't worry about. Night seems to be our time. What's up?"

Zelos smiled, but didn't scoot any closer to Lloyd.

"I'll get right to the point. What's up with this Kratos guy?" He asked.

"What do you mean, what's up?" Lloyd questioned.

"Doesn't he piss you off?" Zelos demanded.

"Zelos, why are you so mad?" Lloyd asked, stunned to see Zelos so worked up.

"He's done all this stuff to us. He turned against us and betrayed his own son. Damned right I'm mad!" Zelos said, getting up to pace in front of Lloyd.

"Um… do you really think you're in a position to be mad?" Lloyd asked.

"How can you ask that? Of course I am! We're involved, aren't we? I don't want to see you hurt!" Zelos said.

Before Lloyd could say anything, he continued: "We don't need to talk about me. I'm really good at conveniently forgetting things like that!"

"That's hardly something to brag about." Lloyd pointed out, touched by Zelos' anger on his behalf and trying to deflate it.

"I think… parents are there to protect their children." Zelos said, turning to face Lloyd.

Lloyd thought about Zelos' parents. How his mom had died, and how his father ignored him.

"Well… yeah." Lloyd said.

"But this guy, he just goes back and forth, like he can't make up his mind. Doesn't he realize that it only hurts you? And then after all that, he challenges you to a duel? What kind of family turns swords against one another? This whole thing's nuts!" Zelos fumed.

"Yeah… I guess that's true…" Lloyd said, remembering all of the times Kratos helped them along the way, and his betrayal.

"You certainly don't seem that worked up about it. Doesn't he piss you off?" Zelos asked, standing in front of Lloyd with his hands on his hips.

"Well, right now you're mad enough for the both of us." Lloyd pointed out.

"I hate parents like that. Parents who just jerk their kids around for their own convenience…" Zelos said.

"Zelos… Yeah, when you put it that way, I guess he did kinda jerk me around." Lloyd said.

"Exactly!" Zelos yelled. "I mean, he knew about the Eternal Sword and Eternal Ring from the very beginning and didn't say a word about them!"

"What? What about the Eternal Ring?" Lloyd asked.

"Um… well…" Zelos said, realizing that in his anger, he had said some things he probably shouldn't have.

"Is Kratos the one that told you about the Eternal Ring?" Lloyd demanded.

"S…So… Lloyd… After we've succeeded in reuniting the worlds, what are your plans?" Zelos asked, trying to distract Lloyd.

"Zelos, you heard about the ring from Kratos, didn't you?" Lloyd asked, ignoring Zelos' attempt to change the subject.

Zelos sighed in defeat. "He… he knew everything. That humans can't use the Eternal Sword, the details of Colette's sickness, the way to make the Eternal Ring… everything."

"I always thought he was holding stuff back… I guess when you think about it that way in just black and white, he could have said something sooner." Lloyd said.

"Exactly!" Zelos said, regaining some of his anger.

"But even if he had told us," Lloyd continued, "I don't think we would have believed him. So maybe he did his best to gauge when to do what and to set things up for us along the way."

"…When you put it that way, I suppose that might be true. Now I feel kinda stupid for getting so worked up over it." Zelos said, reclaiming his seat next to Lloyd.

"Not at all. Because you were upset, I think I've calmed down. I'm not worked up anymore." Lloyd said, placing his hand over Zelos'.

"Oh. Well, that's good then." Zelos said, turning his hand over to squeeze Lloyd's.

"Tomorrow, I'll fight Kratos and then I'll ask him what he was thinking, and what he was trying to do." Lloyd said.

"Tomorrow. If Origin's seal is broken, the worlds will begin to unite, right?" Zelos asked.

"Yeah. Then everyone will be saved. And we can be together." Lloyd said, smiling.

Zelos smiled back and they sat there a minute, enjoying the thought.

"Oh, yeah." Lloyd said. "About that question you asked earlier… I'd like to go on a journey to search for Exspheres."

"Huh?" Zelos said, confused.

"You asked what my plans were for after the worlds are reunited." Lloyd said.

"Oh, I get it. That sounds like a good idea. We should put the Exspheres somewhere people will never get their hands on them again… for the sake of living beings, as well as for the lifeless ones." Zelos said.

"Yeah… wait, we?" Lloyd said.

"Of course! You don't think I'm gonna let you go without me, do you? I promised we'd be together when we saved the worlds, besides." Zelos replied, grinning.

Lloyd grinned back. "All right!" He said. "But won't you have stuff to do as the Chosen?"

"Before the institution of the Chosen is abolished, I want to repeal as many half-elf laws as I can, and set some up for their protection, as well as the protection of everyone else." Zelos said.

"Zelos! Really?" Lloyd asked.

"Really." Zelos answered. "After spending all this time with Raine and Genis, how can I not try? So, we might have to delay that trip for a few days…"

"That's fine! That's great!" Lloyd said, and following the moment, leaned over and kissed Zelos.

Zelos grinned. "God, I missed that."

Lloyd laughed. "We should head back before someone sees us."

Snagging Lloyd around the waist, Zelos pulled him on top of his lap and kissed him hard.

Breathless, he said, "You're probably right. Then again, I like to live on the wild side."

Lloyd grinned, but disentangled himself from Zelos. "Come on, we both need some sleep."

Zelos stood and took his hand. "Alright, alright. We'll go back. But it seems I have forgotten my room key. Whatever shall I do?" He asked.

"There's no choice. You'll have to spend the night in my room. And since there's no couch and the chairs are very uncomfortable, we'll have to share the bed." Lloyd said, smiling hugely.

"Oh, well. If there's no other choice, I guess I'll manage." Zelos teased.

Together, they walked hand in hand back to the inn and to Lloyd's room. Tomorrow, Lloyd would have to fight his father, and make the final decision of whether or not to end his life. But tonight, he would relax and enjoy himself with Zelos.

* * *

Aww! :D They are just so adorable! So yeah, what'd you think? I know it should've been a little darker/angst-ier since Lloyd will have to (potentially) kill his father and all, but I just couldn't resist some nice Zelloyd fluff at the end there! Review?


	6. Chapter 6

I'm not sure I like it, but here's Chapter 6.

I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

* * *

"Lloyd." Zelos said softly, rubbing his arm.

"Uh… huh?" Lloyd mumbled, slowly opening his eyes and blinking several times.

"It's morning." Zelos said.

Lloyd lifted his head and glanced around. He was lying in his bed at the inn in Zelos' arms, with his head on the Chosen's chest. He laid his head back down and closed his eyes.

"I wish it wasn't." Lloyd said.

Zelos continued to rub his hand up and down Lloyd's arm in a gesture of comfort. "I know." He whispered.

Lloyd sighed, then sat up. Mechanically, he got dressed, then just sat on the edge of the bed. Watching him worriedly, Zelos quickly dressed as well and sat next to him.

"What should I do?" Lloyd asked.

"I'm sorry, Lloyd, but what you do should be your decision. I said my piece last night. It's ultimately your choice, though." Zelos said.

Lloyd nodded, and looked at the Exsphere on his hand. _Mom_, he thought, _I'm going to try_. Hardening his resolve, Lloyd stood up.

"Let's gather the others and head for Torent Forest." Lloyd said.

Zelos nodded. "Lloyd, just remember: whatever will be, will be. And… I'm here for you." He said.

Lloyd managed a small smile. "Thanks." He replied.

The two left the inn, and Lloyd gave the task of gathering the others to Zelos as he went to ask the Elf Elder to show them the way to Origin's seal.

The Elder was standing with a watchman in front of a small gate that led to a path into Torent Forest.

"Are you going to Torent Forest?" The Elder asked.

"Yeah." Lloyd answered.

The Elder nodded. "Kratos traveled the world in search of the legendary ore, Aionis. He came here, too, of course. Do you know why?" He said.

Lloyd replied, "In order to allow a human to wield the Eternal Sword, right?"

"…So that you can wield it. But in the end, Aionis could not be found in this world. It had to be taken from Derris-Kharlan." The Elder said.

"So that's why he sent Zelos to get it…" Lloyd said, understanding.

"Even if you cannot avoid the battle, do not forget… Kratos was your ninth companion." The Elder said.

"…I won't." Lloyd returned.

"Torent Forest lies this way. Once you have gathered your friends, speak to the watchman to have the path opened to you." The Elder said.

"Thank you." Lloyd said.

The Elf Elder nodded, then turned and walked away, back into the village. Lloyd just stood staring into the trees, until he felt the group approaching him and turned to face them. He looked at each of them in turn, then nodded and faced the watchman.

"We're ready." Lloyd said.

"Kratos should be in the deepest region of the forest. Be careful." The watchman said, opening the gate and stepping out of the way of the group. "If you get lost, try spotting the bush baby. It knows its way to the seal."

"Thank you." Lloyd said, and with Zelos at his side, led the group into Torent Forest.

After several hours of walking, and due to the fact that the bush baby liked Presea for some reason and always appeared to show them the correct paths to take, the group arrived in a small clearing where Kratos was standing next to a large stone, presumably Origin's seal.

"…So you've come." Kratos said, looking only at Lloyd.

Lloyd stepped forward. "Is there no other way?" He asked.

"Are you still thinking like that? You'll die if you fight me with any doubt left in your heart. If you want the pact with Origin, then you must defeat me." Kratos said.

Lloyd nodded. "So… that's your way." Turning to his group of friends, he said, "Everyone. Leave this to me."

"You're going to fight alone?" Kratos asked, shocked.

"Hey!" Zelos said. "This guy's really stubborn, simple-minded, and tough as nails. So he's more than a match for you all by himself. But anyway… try your best."

Lloyd smiled. "Thanks, Zelos." Turning to face Kratos, he drew his twin blades. "Get ready!" He shouted.

Kratos drew his sword as well, and the group backed up to give them some room. With no other warning, Kratos and Lloyd charged each other, attacking at the same time. The battle was short but intense, and though he didn't come out of it completely unscathed, Lloyd managed to defeat Kratos, knocking his sword away and pressing the tip of one of his own blades at his father's throat.

"You've grown strong." Kratos said.

"Thanks to you." Lloyd said, and lowered his blade.

For the second time in one day, a record, no doubt, Kratos was shocked. "Aren't you going to finish me?" He asked.

Lloyd shook his head. "I defeated Kratos, the angel, the one who betrayed us." He said. "And I forgive Kratos, the hero of the Ancient War, who helped us. That's all."

"Humph. And I thought I'd finally earned the right to die. You're as soft-hearted as ever." Kratos said, turning to face the seal.

"W… wait! You can't be… are you going to break the seal?" Lloyd said, stepping forward.

"That is what you desire… is it not?" Kratos responded.

"But then you'll…" Lloyd said.

Kratos ignored him, and began to release his body's mana, which would break the seal and likely kill him.

"Kratos!" Lloyd yelled, running to him as he watched his father grow weaker and collapse.

Suddenly, there was rustling in the bushes and Yuan rushed forward, quickly transferring some his mana to his old friend.

"Don't worry, he's alive. I gave him some of my mana." Yuan said, holding Kratos up as he weakly tried to sit.

"Da… Kratos. Are you really okay?" Lloyd asked, crouching next to him.

"Humph. Looks like I failed to die once more." Kratos said.

Pissed now, Lloyd yelled: "You stupid jerk! You can die any time! But when you die, that's the end."

Yuan looked at him. "You want him to live in eternal damnation?" He asked.

"Who the hell said anything like that?" Lloyd said to Yuan. To Kratos, "What will you accomplish by dying? Nothing! There is no meaning in dying!"

"You're… right. To think, I had to have my son teach me such an obvious lesson." Kratos said faintly before collapsing against Yuan.

"Kratos!" Lloyd yelled, grabbing his shoulder.

"Kratos will be fine. You should form the pact with Origin." Yuan said.

The group, who had been hanging back slightly as Lloyd talked to Kratos, surrounded him, giving him encouraging looks and pats. Zelos put his arm around Lloyd's shoulders.

"Good job, bud." He said, grinning.

Lloyd rose and nodded. "Sheena?" He asked.

Nodding, Sheena stepped forward to the stone with Lloyd. A bright light suddenly appeared above it, and when it faded, Origin was revealed, a god of a Summon Spirit, with four arms.

"You who lack the right." Origin said, addressing Lloyd. "I have lost faith in all things. Have you come here to disappoint me as well?"

"Origin." Lloyd said. "Are you bound by a pact with Mithos?"

"My pact with Mithos was broken the moment I was freed. Never again shall anyone make use of my power." Origin said.

"Even if we make a vow? We need the Eternal Sword!" Sheena said.

Lloyd nodded. "I want to use the Eternal Sword to reunite the two worlds and revive the Giant Kharlan Tree! Unless we do something, the worlds will never stop vying for mana and everyone will suffer!" He said.

"That situation was born from the weakness of creatures who are unable to accept those that are different." Origin replied.

"That may be true, but mistakes can be corrected." Lloyd insisted.

"Some things cannot be corrected." Origin said.

"Even so… We have to do everything we can." Zelos said.

"Exactly." Lloyd said. "I'm not gonna give up. From the moment they are born, everyone has the right to live. I want to reclaim that. Humans, elves, half elves, dwarves, and even Summon Spirits… Everyone has a right to life!"

Pushing himself up and facing Origin with Yuan's support, Kratos said, "Origin… For almost an eternity, I thought that the only way to save this world was to cling to Mithos' ideals. Just as you once agreed with Mithos' ideals, I, too, thought his was the only way. But Lloyd is different. He taught me that in order to change something, you must do it yourself. It is not enough to merely rely on someone else and go along with their ideals."

Origin closed his eyes, then looked at Sheena. "You who possess the right of summoning." He said. "Make your vow."

"Origin! Then…" Lloyd said.

"I will try once more to believe in people. I shall do my duty in order to create a world you speak of – a world in which everyone can live equally." Origin said.

"I, Sheena, have but one vow. To reclaim a world in which everyone can live freely. A world in which no life is sacrificed meaninglessly. That's all." Sheena said.

"Then we shall create a pact upon that vow. Now fight!" Origin said, summoning four swords. Yuan dragged Kratos out of what would be the battle area, as he was in no condition to fight. The remaining eight drew their weapons and attacked, with Genis and Raine staying in the back to cast while the others fought with Origin up close and personal.

Working together, they soon proved their strength to Origin, and before long he called an end to the battle, satisfied.

"Pact-maker Sheena, and Lloyd. I place my power in your hands. With that power, transform the Eternal Sword into a blade to save all life. However, the Eternal Sword remains, as by Mithos' pact, unusable by those who lack the blood of elves. You must master the sword by your own power and forge a new bond with it." Origin said, then faded away, ready to be summoned again by Sheena.

"All right! You did it, Lloyd!" Genis shouted. Suddenly, his chest pocket began to glow. "A… ahhh!" He yelled, as Mithos' Cruxis Crystal tore free from his pocket and flew at Lloyd, sticking to his chest.

The voice of Mithos floated from the stone: "There's no time… I'll take your body!"

Lloyd's entire body began to shake. "N… no!" He screamed, fisting his hands and battling with Mithos for control of his own body.

"No! It's Mithos! He survived in the Cruxis Crystal! Lloyd's body will be taken over unless we do something!" Raine yelled to the stunned group.

"I don't think so!" Zelos yelled, the first to recover and rushing to Lloyd. He grabbed Mithos' Cruxis Crystal from Lloyd's chest.

Lloyd collapsed to the ground, exhausted from fighting internally with Mithos. From Zelos' fisted hand came Mithos' voice: "Damn, you interfered! Fine, I'll just take this body!"

"No… Zelos!" Lloyd yelled, pushing himself up. Zelos gasped as his fist glowed, and Mithos' Cruxis Crystal suddenly shot out from it and attached itself right above Zelos' own Crystal on his chest. Zelos cried out as Mithos immediately began to assault him, slowly dominating his conscious and taking over his body.

"Zelos!" Lloyd cried, reaching to take Mithos' Cruxis Crystal off him.

"N… no!" Zelos yelled, jerking and falling to his knees, his entire body shaking with effort.

"S… sorry, Lloyd… Gotta… pro…tect you…" Zelos haltingly said through his clenched jaw. His hands fisted in the dirt, and his body suddenly convulsed. Zelos cried out in agony, then suddenly stopped shaking. He stood up, and grinned.

"Zelos?" Lloyd asked tentatively.

His grin widened. "Guess again." Mithos said through Zelos.

"Stop! Let him go! We promised… that we'll go on a journey together when the world is reunited… that we'd be together… Let him go!" Lloyd yelled.

Mithos-as-Zelos laughed. "What do I care? I'm leaving this filthy world behind!" He said, then lifted his hands and concentrated, emitting a faint glow.

"Zelos!" Lloyd cried, reaching out for him. But just as his hand was about to grab Zelos' shoulder, Zelos' body disappeared as Mithos transported him to Derris-Kharlan.

"No!" Lloyd cried. He sank to his knees, overcome by emotion. "No…" He whispered.

The group looked at one another, stunned. Kratos and Yuan shared a dark look, then Kratos stepped forward and put his hand on Lloyd's shoulder.

Suddenly there was an earthquake and earsplitting crack. Giant rocks began to tumble from the sky.

"The Tower of Salvation is collapsing!" Colette gasped, pointing.

The group looked up, realizing she was right, and watched as giant pieces of the Tower rained down on Heimdall and the surrounding area.

"It's Mithos! He's sealed off the route to Derris-Kharlan!" Yuan said.

Lloyd fisted his hands, and stood up. "Dammit!" He yelled.

"Lloyd…" Colette said.

Although it hurt him to give up on Zelos, even if for just the moment, Lloyd said: "We should evacuate the elves. The entire village will be destroyed unless we do something."

"But…" Genis said.

Raine shook her head, and said: "Lloyd's right. We need to help the elves now, before we pursue Mithos."

"Mithos…" Lloyd muttered darkly, earning fearful glances from his friends, and an approving look from Kratos.

Regal cleared his throat. "Then let's go." He said.

The group, Kratos, and Yuan rushed out of Torent Forest and into Heimdall. Lloyd, Genis, Sheena, and Regal took off for the Elder's house, while the rest raced through the streets of the village. Lloyd spotted the Elf Elder just standing at his doorway.

"Hey, what are you doing? Get out of here!" Lloyd yelled as he and his group came to a halt before the Elder.

"I cannot leave without the others of this village. I will remain in the village until the end." The Elder said.

"We're evacuating the remaining people. So run! Now!" Lloyd said.

"I can't believe I'm being saved by humans and half-elves…" The Elder said, stepping away from his house.

"How can you say things like that at a time like this?" Genis angrily demanded.

"…Yes. We may have been foolish. I entrust my villages to you…" The Elder said.

Genis nodded, and Lloyd said, "Good! Now get out of here!" With a nod, the Elf Elder ran out of his village.

Lloyd and his group ran to the entrance to Heimdall, where they found the others waiting.

"It appears that was the last remaining elf in the village. We should get out as well." Kratos said.

"Yeah…" Lloyd said. He led the group out and through the Ymir Forest. He kept going until they were a safe distance away from the falling debris.

Suddenly the sky darkened, and a giant purple sphere appeared, suspended above Tethe'alla.

"What is that?" Lloyd asked frantically.

"That… is Derris-Kharlan." Kratos said.

Raine snapped her attention to him. "Impossible! How could a planet exist so close?" She demanded.

"It is the Eternal Sword that makes the impossible possible. It was hidden by the protective barrier projected from the Tower of Salvation. But it has always existed there, for four thousand years." Yuan explained.

"Yes." Kratos said. "And now, Mithos, with the Great Seed in hand, is trying to leave this land and take Derris-Kharlan with him.

"Wait. If Derris-Kharlan is a mass of mana, and the Great Seed is the seed of the Giant Kharlan Tree, what will happen to the worlds if they are both gone?" Colette asked.

"They will wither and die from mana deprivation." Raine answered.

"Oh, no!" Colette exclaimed.

"Who cares?" Genis asked angrily. "Our friend just got kidnapped! What should we do, Lloyd?"

"What else? We're going after Mithos! We have to save Zelos and both the worlds!" Lloyd said.

"But the Tower of Salvation was destroyed." Regal pointed out.

"Use the Eternal Sword." Kratos said to Lloyd. "If you really made a pact with Origin, with its power over time and space…"

Yuan shook his head. "But Altessa is not well enough to move. Who is going to craft the Ring of the Pact?" He said.

"…Dad!" Lloyd exclaimed, having an idea.

"Oh, you mean Dirk?" Colette asked.

"Yeah. He's our only hope. We'll go to Sylvarant! We have to hurry!" Lloyd said.

"Wait. I'm going with you." Kratos said.

"All right." Lloyd said. "Everyone, let's go!" Raine pulled out the Rheairds. Yuan, it turned out, had his own Rheaird as well and would be going with them as far as the Tethe'alla Base. With Kratos joining them, they would have been one short, but since Zelos wasn't with them at the moment, they had just enough. Lloyd gave his Rheaird to Kratos, and rode Zelos' himself. _Zelos… Be strong. I'm coming._ Lloyd thought.

* * *

I know, I know, it coulda been better, but this was the best I could do.  
:( Zelos is gone… Review?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7… onward!

I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

* * *

Hurriedly jumping off their Rheairds, the group rushed into Dirk's house.

"Lloyd! What's the matter?" Dirk exclaimed upon seeing the frantic look on his son's face.

"Dad! We need your help!" Lloyd said.

Quickly, Raine explained the situation, her voice hitching slightly at the mention of Zelos' abduction.

"…So you want me to forge the Ring of the Pact? A dwarf who's losing his skills by living on the surface?" Dirk asked.

Kratos spoke up: "There's no one else. The dwarf that has the skills is unable to move."

"Dad… please!" Lloyd begged, feeling every second tick away, taking Zelos farther away. He knew what it felt like to have Mithos invade his body, and he knew he had to save Zelos as soon as possible. He couldn't wait, he needed to hurry!

Kratos took out a bag and presented it to Dirk. "I've gathered all of the necessary items."

Dirk looked inside, taking each item out slowly, inspecting them. Lloyd's hands fisted as more time slipped away.

"This is adamantite, for polishing… Hm? What's this piece of wood?" Dirk asked.

"Is that… sacred wood?" Lloyd asked.

"This must fuel the fire." Kratos answered.

"Is that why you were traveling all over Tethe'alla? To prepare all of this?" Lloyd asked, scrutinizing Kratos.

Kratos looked away.

"I see. So everything is set. I can't very well refuse after you've gone through so much trouble, now can I? And I suppose it won't hurt me to help out my dearest son. After all… I'm his father, too." Dirk said.

Kratos stared at him for a minute, then nodded.

Dirk grinned. "Dwarven Vow #1: Work together for the sake of a peaceful world. All right, let's do it."

Lloyd paced up and down, watching his fathers work on forging the Ring. He was excruciatingly aware of Zelos' absence, and found himself praying for his safety, promising absurd things if only to guarantee the red-heads safe return to him.

Finally, Dirk presented him with a ring, which he quickly slipped on, examining it.

"With this, I'll be able to use the Eternal Sword, right?" Lloyd asked.

Suddenly, Kratos collapsed onto the ground.

"Da… Kratos! What's wrong?" Lloyd exclaimed, rushing to his side.

"Lloyd, you've really grown stronger. I never expected you'd be able to inflict such a serious wound on my angelic form. Take this, and stop Mithos. I don't think I'll be able to help you anymore." Kratos said.

Lloyd silently accepted the blade offered to him, then nodded. "Okay."

"That's a marvelous blade. I doubt you have a sword in your possession to match it." Dirk said, examining it.

"Really?" Lloyd asked, surprised.

"Here, take this with you. It's a present I promised you. Now that you've grown all up, I can entrust you with the greatest sword I ever forged." Dirk said, presenting Lloyd with his own blade. Lloyd compared them, then slashed them together, raising them above his head.

"Wow… I'll become even stronger with these two swords. Thanks, Dad. And… Kratos." Lloyd said, looking at his fathers.

"I'm sorry I've forced everything upon you." Kratos said.

"I have great dads. One made a ring for his son using the lost arts, and another risked his life to protect his son in secrecy." Lloyd said, looking between the two.

"Yeah. You've got great parents!" Dirk said, including Kratos in his smile.

"Yeah! Thanks! C'mon, everyone, let's go save Zelos and kick Mithos' ass!" Lloyd said, receiving a resounding chorus of yells. _Zelos, please be okay. I'll be there soon, I promise_, Lloyd thought, quickly following the others and mounting his Rheaird, heading toward the Sylvarant Base and the warp between worlds.

"Hurry, everyone!" Lloyd said, leading the group up what was left of the stairs to Tethe'alla's Tower of Salvation. Entering the main room with the alter, they surveyed the damage.

"The only thing left is that dais…" Presea said.

"It's the Eternal Sword!" Lloyd said, rushing over to it.

"Lloyd, wait. Are we fully prepared? This may be our last battle." Raine said.

Impatient, Lloyd huffed out a breath. "Yeah, we're set. We gotta hurry, Professor!" With that, Lloyd approached the Eternal Sword and grasped it. He immediately felt its immense power, and the voice of Origin floated throughout the room.

"You, who possess the new right," Origin said, "What do you ask of me?"

"Carry us to Derris-Kharlan. To where Mithos and Zelos are!" Lloyd commanded.

The sword pulsated brightly. "Understood." Origin said, and the group was surrounded by a blinding light which transported them into the heavens.

"Here we go everyone!" Lloyd said, leading the group along the paths. The group came to a warp, but as they approached, an energy field surrounded everyone but Lloyd.

"Guys! What the?" Lloyd cried.

"Oh, no! It's a trap!" Raine said.

"This device is not life-threatening. Don't worry." Presea said, before she disappeared.

"Lloyd, I'm sorry. It looks like I'm going to trouble you again…" Colette said as she, too, faded away.

"Lloyd, help us!" Genis cried as he faded.

"Forget about us! Find a way to evade this trap!" Raine cried, disappearing.

"Don't worry about me! Just take care of Mithos and that idiot Chosen!" Sheena called out, fading away.

"Lloyd. As long as you're all right, we still haven't lost. You must get to Zelos and the Great Seed!" Regal said, before he, too, faded away, leaving Lloyd staring at the spot where his friends had stood a moment ago. Great, now what?

"Guys! Damn! What the hell is going on? What happened to everyone?" Lloyd questioned aloud.

"Everything is all right." Origin's voice floated from his twin blades, the current residing place of the Eternal Sword. "I can feel the presence of your companions. They are somewhere in the city." He informed Lloyd.

"All right. Let's go find everyone!" Lloyd said, stepping onto the warp.

When he materialized on the other side, he was in a long hallway. Lloyd could just make out the glow of a warp at the other end, and what he thought was a silhouette. He squinted, trying to make out the shadowy figure that was strangely familiar… the height… the shape… the flow of hair… Zelos?

Lloyd grinned and sprinted down the hallway, hurrying to save his companion. As he neared Zelos, Lloyd could see that he was just standing there with his arms crossed, arrogantly watching Lloyd run to him.

Zelos smirked. "Well, well. Made it here after all?"

"Zelos! No… Mithos! Get out of him!" Lloyd yelled.

"Ha! Never! I… What?" Mithos-as-Zelos said, his facing twisting from a smug smirk into a look of shock and outrage.

"Get… the hell… out of me… you little twerp!" Zelos said, his hands fisting and his body shaking as he renewed his fight for his body.

"No! Impossible! How can you still fight me?" Mithos-as-Zelos yelled, twisting Zelos' face into a look of pain as Zelos slowly pushed Mithos out of his mind.

"That's it, Zelos! You can do it, I know you can!" Lloyd said encouragingly, placing his hand on Zelos' shoulder.

The contact sent a shockwave through Zelos' body, giving Zelos' consciousness the strength to completely push Mithos out.

"Ugh… he's too strong… I can't…" Mithos-as-Zelos said, losing his grip on Zelos' body fast.

"Mithos! Give it up! Get away from him!" Lloyd yelled.

"How dare you, human! You… son of Kratos! How dare you give me orders?" Mithos-as-Zelos snarled, and in a last-ditch effort to retain control, pulled Zelos and Lloyd into one of his memories, hoping to confuse and weaken them.

Lloyd blinked, looking around in surprise. Instead of facing Zelos in Derris-Kharlan, he was suddenly standing outside in a meadow, facing Kratos, Yuan, and Mithos, who was cradling a body to his chest… Martel?

"What's going on? Mithos? Yuan? …Dad?" Lloyd said, confused, staring at the seraph.

"Lloyd, these are Mithos' memories! Don't let it affect you!" Zelos' voice said. Lloyd was still confused, but nodded, knowing he could trust Zelos. Zelos, seeing that Lloyd was okay, continued his assault on Mithos, slowly but surely gaining on the little twerp.

Lloyd gaze shifted to Mithos as the boy looked up at him with an expression full of hurt and anger.

"Martel! …How could you?" the Mithos in front of him cried.

"Human! Your kind must not be allowed to live!" Yuan yelled, gathering a ball of lightning energy into his palm.

"…How far are you willing to go to take control of the mana?" Kratos demanded, drawing his sword.

"I'll never forgive you… You humans are all the same!" Mithos yelled.

"What's going on? Kratos is human, too, you know! Mithos… Yuan… Dad!" Lloyd yelled as Yuan and Kratos prepared to charge him.

"Lloyd! Concentrate on me, on my voice!" Zelos' voice cried.

Suddenly, the scene shifted and disappeared, Lloyd returning to reality and staring at Zelos in Derris-Kharlan.

Mithos' voice floated from his Cruxis Crystal, still attached to Zelos' chest: "Why do you interfere? We both want the same thing! I just wanted to save the world and my sister! To have a world where no one will be persecuted!"

The Crystal flashed, then faded to a dull shine. Zelos' body shook, then relaxed, and Zelos looked at Lloyd in relief.

"Zelos?" Lloyd asked tentatively.

"Lloyd!" Zelos cried, pulling the younger boy into a fierce hug. "Thank God you're alright!"

"Me? What about you, are you okay?" Lloyd demanded, pulling back to closely examine Zelos' face for any signs of pain.

Zelos grinned. "Heh. I'm fine, now that you're here." He put his hands on Lloyd's shoulders, slipping one up into his brown hair. Tugging it slightly, he pulled Lloyd close for a soft kiss. Lloyd eagerly responded, pouring his relief and concern into the kiss, and soon the two were forced apart in order to take a much needed breath.

"Lloyd…" Zelos murmured, rubbing his finger along Lloyd's cheek.

Lloyd looked into his blue eyes, then leaned in and kissed him tenderly.

Zelos sighed, then pulled back and looked around them.

"Wait… where's everyone else?" Zelos asked.

"Oh, yeah! They got caught in a trap, and we all wound up separated…" Lloyd said.

"What? Why didn't you say that in the first place?" Zelos said.

"Sorry, I was too busy being relieved that you're okay!" Lloyd huffed.

"Aw, Lloyd… C'mon, let's go save everyone. I'm not happy that the brat's Cruxis Crystal is still stuck on me, but right now, let's just find everyone else. Then we'll find a way to kick Mithos' ass. And once the worlds are saved… we are finding the first available room and locking ourselves in so that we can properly enjoy each other."

Lloyd blushed, but nodded. He hesitated, then quickly kissed Zelos one more time before breaking away and offering his hand to the Chosen, saying: "C'mon. Let's go."

Zelos grinned and took the hand offered him. Together, they stepped onto the warp. They materialized in what appeared to be a city, although it looked as if no one had lived in it for a while.

Zelos gasped. "Lloyd… I think this is Welgaia, the city of the angels."

* * *

Yay, Zelos is back! Next Chapter should be interesting… Review?


	8. Chapter 8

Whoa, another massive Chapter! Let's not keep Lloyd from rescuing everyone, shall we?

I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

* * *

Lloyd looked around, nodding. "Yeah, I remember it from last time we were here, when we got the mana fragment for Colette…"

Zelos squeezed Lloyd's hand, giving him comfort and drawing him for his memories.

"Let's search the city, Lloyd." Zelos said.

"Right…" Lloyd said.

Still holding hands, they walked across the bridge to the right, leading to the area with the emergency evacuation warp they used last time they were here. The hum of the machines was the only sound beyond the sound of their footsteps, blending with the harsh lighting to create an eerie atmosphere.

"Let's split up; I'll search these top rows, you take the bottom." Zelos suggested.

"I don't know…" Lloyd said.

"Don't worry, I don't think there's any angels left here." Zelos said.

"But what if Mithos attacks you again?" Lloyd asked, concerned.

"Heh. That little twerp? Don't worry, I've got him beat." Zelos said cockily.

Lloyd couldn't help but grin. "Okay, meet back at the bridge in ten minutes."

"You got it." Zelos said, giving Lloyd a quick peck on the cheek before sauntering off to the lift. Lloyd blushed, then took the nearby lift down to the lower rows. Wandering around, he noticed a wall of mirrors. Suddenly he heard a murmur of voices. Cautious, he crept closer to get a better look, holding his twin blades at the ready.

He saw Raine and Genis behind the glass, arguing with the Mayor and an elf woman. Wait, what? Sneaking closer to determine how to save his friends, he heard them talking. But what was the Mayor doing here? And who was that woman? He looked around and held in a gasp as he spotted the shaky form of Mithos watching his friends' conversation with satisfaction. Knowing that couldn't be good, he snuck closer.

"Humans and elves… neither side wants us!" Genis said dejectedly.

"That's right. No one wants you!" the Mayor replied.

"I didn't choose to be born like this… Yet…" Raine said, staring at her feet.

"It can't be helped. It's your fault for not being a pureblood." The elf woman stated.

Lloyd saw the hurt on his friend's faces and knew he had to save them fast!

"No, you're wrong!" He yelled, rushing up to the mirror and looking at Genis and the Professor.

Before anyone could react, Mithos' shaky form appeared in the mirror as well.

"No, they are not wrong. Half-elves are despised and discriminated against for merely being alive. Our existence is a crime." Mithos said.

"No! It's not the half-elves' fault!" Lloyd yelled angrily.

"But…" Genis whispered.

"We…" Raine said dejectedly.

"People who can't accept those who are different are the one to blame! It's because of their weak hearts!" Lloyd yelled, slashing at the mirror and jumping through the glass, cracking the illusions of the Mayor, elf woman, and Mithos.

"Hey, you two. I came to getcha." Lloyd said, grinning at his friends.

"Lloyd…" Genis said, looking at his best friend.

"It's hopeless, Raine. You'll just be abandoned again. As long as you are a half-elf, the world will continue to hate you." The cracked illusion of the elf woman said.

"No, Mother. Lloyd… came for us. Even though he could have left us behind." Raine said.

"So, that's your mom…" Lloyd whispered.

"You'll just be betrayed again, because you're a half-elf." Genis' and Raine's mom said.

"…You may be right. But then again, you may be wrong. It wasn't because of my blood that you abandoned me. It was because of the world that hates my blood and a mother who was too weak to stand up against it. I'm going to stop hating that weakness. My hatred never changed anything. In order to change the world, I must first change myself. I'm glad I was born a half-elf. It was because of it that I met Lloyd and my other dear friends." Raine said, conviction coming back into her voice, and she stood tall and proud once more.

"Genis… do you feel the same? Are you happy that you were born a half-elf?" Mithos asked Genis, shaken by Raine's words.

"That's ridiculous. There's no world for half-elves." The cracked illusion of the Mayor said haughtily.

"Because humans hate us… I hate humans." Genis said.

Mithos grinned in triumph as Lloyd gasped, "Genis!"

Genis turned to him. "But I like you, Lloyd. And I like everyone we traveled with. Because… I think they all like me."

"You're an idiot! You're deluding yourself!" the Mayor cried.

"I'm the same. Just like those that hate half-elves, I get mad at humans and elves just for being who they are… That's just going to make them hate me more! My heart was weak, too." Genis said.

"Is it a sin to be weak hearted? Not everyone's strong. Not everyone can stand being despised." Mithos whispered as his hold over the illusions faded and finally Lloyd, Genis, and Raine were alone.

"Hey, you two!" Lloyd said, grinning.

"Lloyd! Thanks for coming!" Genis said, grinning back.

"I'm sorry. I promise to make up for all the trouble we've cause." Raine said.

"Don't worry about it! We're friends, right? I'm just glad you guys are okay!" Lloyd said.

"Thanks, Lloyd." Genis said.

"Have you managed to find anyone else?" Raine asked.

"Oh, yeah! I saved Zelos! Actually, we split up to look for you guys; I promised I'd meet him in ten minutes." Lloyd explained.

"Nice going, Lloyd. Let's go!" Genis said, turning to the hole Lloyd had created in the mirror.

Raine followed suite, but paused, staring at some of the mirror fragments.

"Professor?" Lloyd questioned.

"It's fragments of the mirror…" Raine said.

"Maybe they're like symbols of the weakness of our hearts." Genis suggested, staring at them as well.

"You should hang on to it, then. It's proof that you guys beat that weird mirror." Lloyd said.

"Okay!" Genis said.

"Yes. It's a good idea." Raine agreed, picking up the shards before following Genis and Lloyd out of the hole and to the lift.

The trio took the lift up and headed for the bridge. Lloyd spotted Zelos standing their impatiently tapping his foot, and grinned.

"Hey, Zelos!" Lloyd yelled, waving his hand.

Zelos glanced up and saw Lloyd approaching with Genis and Raine. He grinned as they got nearer and stopped next to him.

"Alright, Lloyd! Two down, four to go!" Zelos said, giving Lloyd's shoulder a quick squeeze.

Genis and Raine shared a glance but didn't say anything.

"You guys okay?" Zelos asked, turning to the two half-elves.

"Heh. Yeah. What about you?" Genis answered.

"I'm good, I kicked Mithos outta my head and am back in control." Zelos said.

"But his Cruxis Crystal is still attached to you?" Raine questioned, looking at the stones on Zelos' chest.

Zelos sighed. "Yeah. For some reason, it won't come off. But I can't feel his presence in it, so I'm not too worried. We should find everyone else right now." He said.

"Fascinating…" Raine muttered, her eyes gleaming.

"Um… heh… Professor, let's go!" Lloyd said, saving Zelos from the Professor's mania side.

"Very well…" She grumbled.

The four walked across the bridge, back to the central area. Lloyd took the lead, and led his friends to the left, across the bridge there. Once at the other side, a bright light flashed, and Lloyd suddenly found himself separated from the others, standing in a magic circle of some kind.

"Lloyd!" Zelos yelled.

"Zelos! Guys! Don't come closer; it's a magic circle, you'll get stuck, too!" Lloyd yelled.

"All right. We'll look for a way to disable it." Raine responded.

Suddenly, the circle activated and sucked Lloyd in, pulling him to the center and shoving him below it.

"What the hell…?" Lloyd said, confused.

"Lloyd?" Zelos questioned, having heard the boy's confusion.

"I'm fine; the circle put me under it somehow. Wait, people are appearing in it… Colette and Sheena! And… Mithos!" Lloyd growled the last bit, looking around for a way to save his friends.

"Lloyd, you try to save them from where you are; Genis, Zelos, and I will continue to try to shut off the circle from here." Raine said.

"Gotcha." Lloyd said, looking up at his friends. Suddenly, he saw Sheena and Colette begin to run to avoid being sucked in, and illusions of Remiel and Kuchinawa appeared before them. Lloyd couldn't make out what they were saying until Yggdrasill spoke up.

"That monster below will bestow eternal suffering upon you. If it devours you, you will neither live nor die. You will be trapped in the true darkness, tormented in isolation forever." Yggdrasill said.

Lloyd looked around. "Monster?" He questioned; the only thing down here was himself.

"Forever…" Colette murmured.

"I can save you." Yggdrasill said. "Join us and defeat Lloyd. Then it will all be over."

"Lord Mithos will reunite the worlds if you become the Goddess Martel." The illusion of Remiel said.

"And he has agreed to let the people of Mizuho live." The illusion of Kuchinawa said.

"The world will be saved?" Colette asked.

"And the people of Mizuho?" Sheena added.

"All you have to do it pledge your allegiance to me. As soon as you do that, you will be saved from the shadow's grasp." Yggdrasill answered.

Lloyd had heard enough. "Listen to me, both of you!" He yelled. "I've come for you guys, I'm right down below!"

"But the only thing down there is that monster!" Colette said.

"Lloyd! Don't tell me you were eaten by that monster!" Sheena yelled.

"That Lloyd is an illusion. The monster is mimicking his voice to lure you." Yggdrasill smoothly said.

"I'm not an illusion!" Lloyd growled. "Did Martel **want** to possess your body, Colette? Do you think it's better for the people of Mizuho to become part of the Age of Lifeless Beings, Sheena?"

"Well…" Colette said.

"But…" Sheena said at the same time.

"Both of you have to decide for yourselves. But I have faith in you. I know you won't run away, even if what we're trying to do is difficult! Don't forget. Your lives have value just by being alive and being there!" Lloyd said.

"Value in… just being alive?" Colette wondered.

"Just by being alive… my life has value?" Sheena said.

"Of course not! No life has any value just by being alive!" Yggdrasill snarled.

"Shut up! There's a significance in being born. But if that's not good enough for you, I'll give them another value. They're both valuable because they're my friends!" Lloyd yelled.

"Lloyd!" Colette yelled.

"You reject my offer?" Yggdrasill asked.

"You will let the worlds die? You're running away?" Remiel's illusion asked shocked.

"I won't run. We're going to reunite the worlds our way. Lloyd taught me that it's wrong to think that dying will solve everything. I may be a failure as a Chosen, but I have to fulfill my duties by continuing to live!" Colette yelled as she stopped struggling and let the magic circle suck her in and send her below.

"Tch. Looks like she beat me to it!" Sheena said.

"Are you running away again?" Kuchinawa's illusion questioned, outraged.

"I'll raze the entire village of Mizuho!" Yggdrasill threatened.

"I'm not running. The people of Mizuho are waiting for us to reunite the worlds. Betraying that trust would truly be running away! Damnation or salvation… guess there's only one way to find out!" Sheena said as she, too, gave up fighting and was sucked below by the circle.

Lloyd grinned at Colette and Sheena as they landed next to him. "Welcome back, you two." He said.

"It's not like I can really run away from the fact that I was born." Sheena said, grinning back.

"Heh. Thanks, Lloyd. I'm not going to run away from life anymore. I'm going to live and find a new world with everyone!" Colette said.

"Yeah. Running won't solve anything." Lloyd said, watching as the Remiel and Kuchinawa illusions disappeared above them.

"What possible value does one burdened to exist with cursed blood have? Sometimes running is the only way to save yourself. Humans are… so arrogant." Yggdrasill said, fading away as well.

"Got it!" Raine yelled, and the magic circle disappeared completely, revealing Lloyd, Colette, and Sheena to Raine, Genis, and Zelos.

"Lloyd! You alright?" Zelos asked, rushing over to him.

"Heh. Yeah, I'm fine. And look who I found." Lloyd said.

"Colette! Sheena! I'm glad you're back!" Genis yelled happily.

"Is everyone okay?" Raine asked, inspecting them for injuries.

"We're fine Professor. C'mon, let's go find Regal and Presea." Lloyd said.

"Zelos, you okay? Mithos gone?" Sheena asked her favorite Chosen.

Zelos grinned. "Yeah, I'm back and better than ever!" He said.

Sheena rolled her eyes, but grinned back at him.

The group decided to check the prison area they were locked in last time next, then the surrounding city, and as they approached the warp in the corner, Lloyd noticed a small figurine on the ground.

"What's that?" He asked.

"A spider figurine?" Sheena said, bending down and picking it up.

"But it's broken in half…" Colette said.

"Maybe it's an admonition to not run away." Lloyd suggested.

"I guess that's one way to look at it." Colette said.

"Maybe. I'm gonna hang on to it as a reminder." Sheena said, tucking it into her bag.

The group took the warp to the jail cells. Looking at the long line of them, Lloyd sighed in frustration.

"Relax, Lloyd. Why don't we split up again? Lloyd, Genis, and I will search the cells while Colette, Sheena, and Raine take the warp back and search the buildings in the city? We'll meet in the center part in twenty minutes." Zelos said.

"Hm… very well." Raine said.

Everyone else nodded, and the three girls left, leaving the men to search the cells.

"Alright, I'll take the first third, Zelos, you take the next third, and Lloyd, you take the last third." Genis said.

"Sounds good. See you in a bit!" Zelos said, absently squeezing Lloyd's shoulder before strolling off to search his assigned section.

Genis shrugged his shoulders and followed suite, leaving Lloyd alone. He wandered down to the farthest end and slowly began opening the cells, hoping to find Regal and Presea soon so that they could figure out how to beat Mithos once and for all. In the second cell he came upon, he could just make out two figures inside it… it had to be them! He raced to the cell door, but gasped when he fell into another illusion of Mithos'. It felt as if his whole body had been wrapped up tight, and he found that he couldn't move at all. The only thing he could do was wait for now and listen to Regal and Presea, praying that his friends would be okay.

"I thought I just saw Lloyd." Regal said.

"Yes… he disappeared. What could…" Presea said.

Suddenly, the door to their cell swung open.

"…A trap?" Regal asked.

"Even if it is, remaining here indefinitely…" Presea said.

"…Would not be particularly meaningful. Let us search for Lloyd." Regal said, stepping out of the cell with Presea right behind him.

Lloyd saw a shimmering light out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see a faded Mithos creating an illusion of Alicia.

"Dammit!" Lloyd yelled, struggling harder. Apparently, neither Regal nor Presea heard him, though Mithos gave him a cheeky smirk, as both were confronted with a ghost from the past.

"I'm so glad you two are safe!" the fake Alicia said.

"Alicia…" Presea gasped.

"Impossible…" Regal murmured.

"Please wait. I'll take you to Lloyd." Alicia said, stepping forward.

"It's an illusion! Alicia is… dead!" Regal said, his voice laced with pain.

"Yes. She was murdered…" Presea whispered.

"…Yes." Regal said sadly.

"Then what am I, Presea? Even though I'm right here, breathing, my very own sister insists that I'm dead?" Alicia demanded.

"I…" Presea said, clearly torn.

"It's true that I was murdered by Regal. But here I am alive in front of you. Isn't that enough?" Alicia asked.

"What? That doesn't even make sense!" Lloyd yelled, managing to free his feet and ankles. Oblivious to Lloyd and his struggles, smothered in their own grief, Regal and Presea stared at Alicia's illusion, clearly torn.

Regal snapped out of it first. "It's only an illusion. Be gone!" He said, taking a menacing step toward the fake Alicia.

"Ahh!" Alicia's illusion screamed.

Presea ran in front of the ghost of her sister, raising her axe as if to strike Regal.

"Presea?" Regal said.

"We… don't know for certain it's an illusion." Presea said, hesitating.

"Presea! You believe me, don't you? Thank you!" Alicia's illusion said in relief.

"You…" Regal growled, moving to strike.

"Stop! If you don't stop…" Presea said, defending the image of her sister.

Lloyd couldn't believe his eyes; his friends were going to attack each other! He struggled harder, managing to free his legs and shoulders, leaving only his hands pressed against his body.

"Regal, I can't believe you'd try to kill me… I can't believe it…" the fake Alicia whimpered.

"Silence, phantom! Presea, move!" Regal yelled.

"If you want to kill Alicia, you must face me first. Prepare yourself!" Presea yelled in turn.

Using every once of his strength, Lloyd broke free of Mithos' hold and yelled, "Stop it, both of you!"

Regal and Presea froze. Lloyd moved toward them, slashing his sword at Mithos, who dodged and tripped Lloyd, causing him to slice his arm on Presea's axe as he regained his balance. Blood pooled at his feet, and Regal and Presea stared at it in horror.

"Lloyd's voice… is this an illusion as well?" Regal questioned.

"But… there's blood…" Presea said, confused.

"I feel an evil presence from that blood! Be careful, Presea!" Alicia's ghost cried.

"What's going on? What is real?" Regal said, completely confused now.

"It doesn't matter, just settle down! Why are you fighting each other? You're supposed to be friends!" Lloyd yelled, holding his arm and hissing in pain. He pushed violently against Mithos' illusion, and broke through completely, appearing between Regal and Presea.

"Lloyd…" Presea said, shocked.

"You… aren't an illusion?" Regal asked.

"Why did you stop attacking? You hate the one who murdered me, don't you?" Alicia's illusion demanded.

"But…" Presea muttered.

"And Regal… why won't you just let yourself be killed? You've always felt guilty about killing me." The fake Alicia coaxed. "Here's your chance to end it all!"

Mithos suddenly appeared behind his Alicia illusion.

"Yes. It's for the best. If you are killed, you will no longer feel guilt. If you killed him, you will have your revenge. Crimes must be punished." He said.

"Both of you! Get a hold of yourselves! Don't confuse who you should be fighting! Dying won't settle anything! Killing won't solve anything!" Lloyd yelled.

"That is merely logic." Mithos said coldly. "People are not moved by logic. If the one you love is killed, you hate the murderer… And murderers must be punished.

"But if you keep killing people like that, it will only spawn new hate and new revenge! Besides… you're just running away if you die. You'll forget the murder and pain of that crime!" Lloyd said passionately.

"Spawn new hate…" Presea said, dazed.

"Running away from my crime…" Regal murmured.

"What about my feelings? You murdered me!" the fake Alicia demanded.

"It is true that Alicia died. But I know she doesn't want things to end like this. What you're both doing is selfish!" Lloyd said.

"You're… the real Lloyd!" Regal said, understanding.

"And that Alicia is a fake. Alicia wouldn't say things like that…" Presea said in comprehension.

"Are you… going to kill me?" Alicia's illusion asked, scared.

"Stop deceiving my friends!" Lloyd snarled, leaping at her and causing the illusion to dissolve.

Turning back to Regal and Presea, he said, "I came to get you guys…"

"I'm sorry… I lost the will to atone for my crimes by taking comfort in the feeling of being punished. Death is not punishment. Punishment is living with one's crimes and working to atone for it." Regal said.

"I closed off my heart and turned away from people who were trying to atone for their crimes because it was easier to hate then to forgive." Presea said.

"There are so many things you can do before you die. And I don't think everything has to be forgiven. But no matter how painful things may be, you just can't dwell on the past." Lloyd said to them both.

"…You're right." Regal said, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I… will stop allowing myself to be trapped in the past." Presea said.

"One cannot seek a new world while dragging the past along." Regal said, opening his eyes to look between Presea and Lloyd.

Mithos just shook his head. "And thus, you forget the past… The countless lives that were lost… and the pain of those that suffered. Crimes must be met with punishment." He said, disappearing.

Lloyd sighed. "C'mon, you two. Let's go meet up with the others."

Regal and Presea nodded, and followed Lloyd as he started to make his way to the warp at the other end of the room, not seeing Genis or Zelos anywhere.

"What's that?" Lloyd asked suddenly, stopping and pointing to something glittering on the floor before them.

Regal approached it and picked it up. "A knife?" He said.

Presea examined it. "There are nicks all over the blade." She said.

"Maybe it's a symbol of your past…" Lloyd said, looking it over as well.

"Let us think of it that way." Regal said, tucking it into Lloyd's bag.

"Yes… so that we may never fight amongst ourselves again." Presea said.

The three shared a smile, then continued to the warp. Once in the city, Lloyd quickly looked around and, not seeing Colette, Sheena, or the Professor, led the other two across the bridge to the central area.

"Well, there you are!" Zelos said exasperated. "I was just about to come looking for you!"

"Heh. Sorry. But I found Regal and Presea." Lloyd said, grinning.

Zelos grinned as well. "Good job, bud." He reached out to take Lloyd's hand and accidentally brushed against his cut. Lloyd gasped in pain, his hand coming up to cover the wound.

"What? Lloyd, you're hurt!" Zelos exclaimed.

"It's nothing…" Lloyd said, wincing as Zelos pulled his hand away to examine it.

"Lloyd, it's not nothing! Here, let me heal you." Zelos said, casting a quick First Aid.

Lloyd sighed as the pain faded. He grinned at Zelos. "Thanks." He said.

"No problem, just be more careful." Zelos said, grinning back at him and draping his arm over his shoulders, turning them both to face the rest of the group. While Zelos had been tending to Lloyd, the rest of the group had caught Regal and Presea up on past events and were formulating their next move. It was decided that they would explore further in, hoping to find where Mithos was currently hiding.

Lloyd and Zelos took the lead, Zelos' arm still slung around Lloyd, which caused some smiles and double takes among the group, but no one suspected anything more than friendship. Zelos suddenly ran ahead and was inspecting a strange design inlaid on the tile.

"What is this?" Lloyd asked, coming up behind him.

"This is…" Colette said, looking at the design, along with the rest of the group.

"This is the Derris Emblem!" Zelos said.

"Derris Emblem?" Lloyd repeated, confused.

"It's a seal that blocks the path to Mithos' castle. Although I didn't know where it was." Zelos explained.

"Then, with this…" Lloyd said.

"The trap should be deactivated. Let's keep going." Raine said.

"Okay, let's go!" Lloyd said, leading the group up the new path. They took the large warp at the end and were in the inner most part of Derris-Kharlan, Vinheim.

The group looked around, taking in their surroundings.

"Right. I think it's just up ahead." Zelos said.

Lloyd nodded, and the group continued on, going up a set of stairs that brought them face to face with a large dragon guarding a door.

"I am the gatekeeper. You, who would open the gate, stand forth and destroy me!" The dragon said.

"Let's go!" Lloyd yelled, charging into action. The others quickly followed suit, with Zelos, Regal, and Presea charging in as well while Genis, Raine, Colette, and Sheena started casting.

Lloyd successfully performed Tempest, but as he landed, the dragon swung his tail and slammed him into the ground. Stunned, he had no time to move out of the way of the claws that had followed the tail, and he braced himself for the attack, but Zelos screamed his name and threw himself in front of him, taking the hit himself.

"Zelos!" Lloyd cried, jerking into motion and dragging the redhead to safety as the rest of the group finished off the dragon.

"Zelos! Are you okay?" Lloyd asked, wincing as he spotted the long gash on Zelos' torso.

"Heh. I'm glad your okay, Lloyd." Zelos said, charging up a spell. "First Aid." He muttered, and his wound quickly closed.

Zelos stood and pulled Lloyd up with him. He grinned. "All good."

"Don't do that again! I can take care of myself!" Lloyd said, scowling.

"I know that, Lloyd. I just didn't want that pretty body of yours hurt." Zelos whispered for Lloyd only. Lloyd blushed, thankful that the rest of the group was too busy taking care of their own wounds to pay attention to him.

"Right… well… we should go." Lloyd said.

Zelos just chuckled and nodded.

"Alright everyone, let's go!" Lloyd called to the group in general, and pushed open the door, leading his friends to Mithos' castle.

* * *

Awwwwwww. :D Zelloyd moment!  
Ahem. Anyway… Review?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 yay! Getting to the end now.

I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

* * *

The group approached the final warp, the one that would take them directly to Mithos' chambers.

"Mithos is just ahead…" Lloyd said.

"And the Great Seed should be there, too." Colette added.

"This is it, everyone. Are you ready?" Lloyd asked, turning to face his friends.

"I'm ready. I'm prepared to accept whatever happens in the coming battle, and we will win!" Raine said.

"Yeah. We're gonna win… for Mizuho, Corrine, and for all of you who believed in a coward like me." Sheena said, nodding.

"And… for myself, too. I don't want anyone else to make the same mistake I did. No one should have to think that he has to sacrifice his own life…" Colette said.

"Everyone should be able to live freely, no matter who they are. Humans and elves and even us… It's okay for us to be here, in this world." Genis said, making his sister proud.

"Yes. That's why we must recover the Great Seed from Mithos and revive the Giant Tree. Without it, not only will we be unable to restore peace between the different races…" Regal started to say.

"The world itself will die." Presea finished, nodding at him. "We can't let that happen. We must unite the worlds. Afterwards we shall make a new promise to the new world."

"The people that I like and the people that I don't both have the right to live in the same world as I do. Because that's the way things should be. So count me in. I won't run from this one. I won't run from you." Zelos said, looking only at Lloyd.

"…All right! Let's go! We're going to restore a world where everyone can live freely!" Lloyd said.

He turned from the group and stepped onto the warp, knowing that his friends were right behind him and supported him fully. _Mithos_, he thought, _we'll stop you, no matter what!_

Lloyd and the others appeared in a large open space devoid of anything except the lifeless form of Mithos and the hovering outline of the Great Seed. They approached both cautiously, not sure what to expect.

"Home… I'm going home…" Mithos murmured.

"Mithos… listen to me! We don't have to fight! Please, return the Great Seed to us so that we can reunite the worlds." Genis begged.

"Home… I'm going home…" Mithos murmured, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Something's wrong. He sounds like a puppet…" Lloyd said.

"Maybe that's because I still have his… Whoa!" Zelos said, Mithos' Cruxis Crystal suddenly glowing and then flying off of him and attaching itself to Mithos' form, which immediately became renewed.

"I need to thank you for going through all the trouble to bring me back here. I'm finally myself again." Mithos said, opening his eyes and sneering at the group.

After insuring that Zelos was okay, Lloyd turned to Mithos. "Damn!" He said. "So that's what this was all about!"

"Mithos… Martel is already dead…" Genis said sadly.

"That's not true! Martel is alive, just as I lived on in the Cruxis Crystal." Mithos said angrily.

"That's not living. That's just existing as a lifeless being." Lloyd said, shaking his head.

"What's wrong with that?" Mithos questioned.

"What?" Lloyd sputtered.

"After all, in our bodies flow the blood of humans and elves – the bloods of those that despise us. We're better off casting aside such filth and become lifeless beings." Mithos said.

"That's what you really want?" Lloyd asked.

"Of course. Watch! When you become a lifeless being, you can even control your appearance and growth." Mithos said, switching between his Yggdrasill and Mithos forms, before returning to his childish body. "Everyone should become lifeless beings. I told you before. The only way to eliminate discrimination is for everyone to become the same race." He said.

"What you hope for is nothing but a dream, Mithos. Discrimination comes from the heart." Lloyd said, shaking his head again.

"He's right, Mithos. It's the weakness of people's hearts that causes discrimination. Looking down upon others while placing themselves too high…" Genis said.

"You do the same thing! You look down on humans and elves, treating them like cattle. That's the weakness of your heart." Sheena said fiercely.

"Even if people become lifeless beings, nothing will change. Discrimination will continue." Regal stated.

"Then where should the half-elves go? We aren't accepted anywhere. We opened our hearts, but no one took us in. Where should we live?" Mithos returned.

"You can live anywhere you like." Lloyd responded earnestly.

Mithos glared at him. "Don't make me laugh." He said.

"I'm serious. Anywhere is fine. If you aren't doing anything wrong, you should just live proudly in the open." Lloyd said.

"It's because we couldn't do that… that I… that we wanted a place of our own!" Mithos said.

"Uh-huh. Sorry, but don't act like you're the only victim here. It doesn't even come close to justifying all the things you've done." Zelos said.

"What you've done caused meaningless suffering and death to countless people. Can you feel their pain?" Presea said, eyes sparkling with emotion.

"People can change. Even if they don't change right away. Months, years – as time passes, change is inevitable." Raine said.

"Maybe not everything can be forgiven. But one can try to atone for one's sins. Can't you feel it in your heart? The Goddess known as conscience…" Colette said.

"Do you think I'm going to beg for forgiveness? Ridiculous. There is no Goddess. So I will continue to pursue my ideals. If there is no place where I can live, and if I've been denied my Age of Lifeless Beings, then the only thing left for me is to build a new world on Derris-Kharlan. A world just for my sister and me!" Mithos said haughtily.

Lloyd shook his head in sadness, then drew his twin blades. Realizing Mithos would never stop, the rest of the group drew their weapons as well and prepared for battle.

Lloyd glanced back at his friends, and, seeing them ready, turned and charged Mithos.

"Pathetic human. Die!" Mithos yelled, attacking Lloyd.

While Mithos was incredibly strong due to his years upon years of practice and existence, he was outnumbered eight to one and ultimately could not stand against Lloyd and his companions. As a last ditch effort to stop them, Mithos used his remaining strength to create a mechanical barrier around himself, and attacked the group again, spirit renewed. Lloyd and company grit their teeth and continued to battle him, the fight stretching on with Raine casting multiple healing and support spells; Genis casting spell attack after spell attack; Presea charging up and under Mithos' guard with her ax; Regal slamming down on him from above; Colette calling giant hammers into existence to bash away at Mithos' defenses; Sheena flitting around the battlefield with the stealth of a true ninja, slapping card after card on Mithos, draining his energy; Zelos switching between giving Raine some help with keeping the group healed and ruthlessly striking Mithos with his sword; and Lloyd staying up close to Mithos, slashing his twin blades over and over again. Mithos simply couldn't endure under the barrage, and with Lloyd's cry of "Beast Sword Rain", Mithos finally fell.

The barrier around him crumbled, and Mithos' body slowly faded away as his Cruxis Crystal began absorbing him.

"Mithos is…!" Colette gasped.

"It's just like Alicia! Mithos will continue to live as long as the Cruxis Crystal exists!" Presea cried.

Mithos' ghostly figure appeared above his Crystal as it completely absorbed his body.

"And eventually… I will be completely taken over by the Crystal." Mithos said, his voice floating over the group.

"Mithos…" Lloyd said, his voice filled with pity.

"I'm tired of playing your game of good and evil. Hurry up and destroy the Crystal. If you don't, Derris-Kharlan will continue to drift away.

"Mithos…!" Lloyd murmured.

"Do it now! Before I, too, am no longer myself…" Mithos said.

"Lloyd! Please, help him! Let him die while he's still himself!" Genis cried.

"All right." Lloyd said, approaching the Crystal with his blades drawn.

"Farewell, my shadow. You, who stand at the end of the path I chose not to follow. I wanted my own world, so I don't regret my choice. I would make the same choice all over again. I will continue to choose this path." Mithos said, closing his eyes, his apparition fading.

Lloyd quickened his strides and slashed at the Crystal, destroying it.

"You could have… you could have lived with us in our world! Damn it…" Lloyd muttered, closing his eyes and holding his swords loosely at his sides. Zelos approached and put his hand on Lloyd's shoulder. Lloyd opened his eyes and turned to face his friends.

Suddenly, his swords began to glow and the voice of Origin flowed from them: "The old master of the pact is no more. What does the new master of the pact ask of his sword?"

Lloyd took a deep breathe. "Restore the true form of our two worlds!" He cried, striking the blades above his head as everything went white with a blinding light.

* * *

Yes, my non-existent battle scene sucked.  
On the bright side, they're one step away from saving the worlds! Review?


	10. Chapter 10

This is it, Chapter 10!

I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

* * *

The group looked around in confusion. They were in a meadow not far from the remains of the Tower of Salvation.

"Are we back?" Lloyd asked, dazed.

Suddenly, bright lights appeared around the group, and one by one the Summon Spirits of both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla appeared.

"Wh… what's going on?" Lloyd asked, looking around.

"What are you all doing?" Sheena asked her Spirits.

Origin appeared before the group as well. "Your wish is granted. But there is no link. Without a link, the land will die." He said.

"What are you saying?" Zelos demanded.

"The world was originally separated into two in order to prevent its destruction. If it returns to its true form, the world lacks the mana to support itself. The land… is dying." Origin said.

"I don't need to know why it's dying! What do we need to do to stop it?" Lloyd yelled.

"Support the two worlds by linking them with the Giant Tree. That is the only way to stop the destruction of the land." Origin said.

"Ah, I get it. We need to make the Giant Kharlan Tree sprout." Zelos said.

"…I get it!" Lloyd said, turning to Zelos.

"Lloyd! Hurry up! Don't let Derris-Kharlan get away! Hurry up and get the Great Seed to sprout and put an end to this!" Zelos said.

"All right, then!" Lloyd said.

The Summon Spirits nodded and disappeared, with only Origin remaining.

"I'm counting on you, Eternal Sword!" Lloyd said, raising his swords above his head. They began to glow, and flew out of his hand, combining and forming the true Eternal Sword.

"Derris-Kharlan is already at the edge of the gravitational field. Not even Yggdrasill… Mithos could stop this from happening. Do you still intend to try?" Origin asked.

"Yeah." Lloyd said, gripping the hilt of the Eternal Sword.

"Even strengthened by your Exsphere, it is likely that your body will not withstand the forces. Are you certain of your decision?" Origin asked once more.

"I said I'm doing it, so I'm doing it! It's not like we have a choice!" Lloyd said, determined.

Origin nodded. "Very well." He disappeared.

"Lloyd… be careful." Zelos said.

"Heh. I will." Lloyd said, grinning at him before turning back to the task at hand.

Lloyd closed his eyes and concentrated on the Eternal Sword. Suddenly, he felt pressure in his back and a warm glow engulfed his body. He gasped, then opened his eyes as he heard everyone else gasp in shock, too, staring at his new wings. They were longer than Colette's and Kratos', and were a pure white, with golden tips.

Lloyd fluttered them, and grinned. He took off from the ground and headed up to the Great Seed and Derris-Kharlan, his friends staring at him in soundless awe.

Suddenly, he felt someone next to him, and saw Colette soaring up to his side, her pink wings sparkling. She took his hand and squeezed.

Lloyd smiled at her, then turned to Derris-Kharlan and raised the Eternal Sword. The sword glimmered, then disappeared.

Nothing happened.

"It's not working! The mana's being deflected!" Lloyd cried.

"The Great Seed is… already dead!" Colette gasped.

The Seed stared to drift away. _No, this can't be happening!_ Lloyd thought.

"Wait! Don't go! Please, wake up!" Lloyd cried.

Suddenly, it stopped drifting away.

"It looks like Derris-Kharlan stopped moving away…" Colette said.

"Yeah, but why? The Eternal Sword is gone… The Eternal Sword!" Lloyd gasped as the Sword reappeared in front of him. Grasping it tightly, he pointed it at the Great Seed.

"This is my final wish. Eternal Sword…" Lloyd said.

"Please… awaken the Great Seed!" Colette cried.

"I beg you, please! Wake up!" Lloyd yelled.

"Please!" Colette shouted.

Swinging the sword and pushing in his will, Lloyd yelled: "Rise, Giant Kharlan Tree!"

The Great Seed began to glow, and suddenly it spun madly in the air, then went crashing down to the ground. The Eternal Sword split back into Lloyd's twin blades, and Lloyd and Colette flew after the Seed, hoping it would sprout.

As they landed, another blinding light engulfed them, and when they could see again, they saw the group running up to them and a woman in green standing in front of a small sapling.

"I am Martel." The woman said. "And also the incarnation of the Great Seed itself. Lloyd, your hope as well as those of many others, resurrected me."

"So you're Mithos' sister?" Lloyd asked, as the group gathered around, staring at Martel and the small tree.

"No. Mithos' sister Martel is one of the many souls within me. I am Mana, and I am the Giant Tree. I am a symbol of the many lives sacrificed to the Great Seed. I am the new spirit born to accompany the Giant Tree. And now the Seed has awakened anew along with me." Martel explained.

The sapling shimmered, and suddenly a massive tree was standing in its place.

"This is the Giant Kharlan Tree?" Lloyd gasped, looking at it in awe.

"It's so beautiful…" Zelos whispered, the others shaking their heads in agreement.

"This is the future form of the Giant Tree. Right now, it is only a small sapling. In its current state, the tree will wither and die." Martel said, the tree returning to its small size.

"Well then, how do we protect it?" Lloyd demanded.

"You must provide the tree with love and adoration. As long as those conditions are met, I shall always protect the sapling." Martel said.

"I promise! If the tree starts to wither, I'll make sure… We won't let it die!" Lloyd said fiercely.

"Then this tree shall be proof of the pact, for all living things." Martel said, fading away.

Lloyd grinned, and pulling his wings in, turned to his friends.

"Lloyd, you did it!" Zelos yelled, pulling him into a tight hug.

Lloyd laughed. "Heh. We did it!" He yelled.

The rest of the group surrounded him, yelling out in pure joy.

Once they were done celebrating, they decided to head to Altessa's house, since it was nearby, to check up on him and determine what to do from there.

They arrived to find Altessa in good health, and quickly informed him of their victory. After eating a hearty meal cooked by Genis and Regal, they all sat around Altessa's main room, basking in their success.

"I can't believe we finally did it… we saved the worlds!" Colette said.

"Yeah. It feels like forever ago that we were leaving Iselia at the start of this journey." Genis added.

Sheena grinned. "Yup! Things were so different back then! But it all worked out! And now… it's over."

Lloyd shook his head. "No, it's not. It won't be completely over until we destroy every last Exsphere and make a better world for everyone." He said.

The group sobered a bit, but all voiced their agreement.

"So, what's everyone gonna do from here?" Lloyd asked.

"Well, I will be heading back to the Lezareno Company in Altamira. I will make sure the Toize Valley Mine is completely destroyed." Regal said.

"Yes. I'd like to visit Alicia's grave, and tell her of all the good we have accomplished." Presea said.

"And I'll be heading back to Mizuho, to explain things to the village and help them relocate." Sheena said.

"I'm… not sure. Raine?" Genis said.

"I think we should travel this new world, Genis, and show the people that half-elves aren't evil creatures." Raine said.

Genis grinned. "Yeah! We should help the other half-elves, too!" He said.

"I'm going home to Father and Grandmother! I can't wait to see them again!" Colette said happily.

"What about you, Zelos?" Lloyd asked.

"I'll be heading back to my mansion in Meltokio. I have to push through some reforms before the Church of Martel is completely abolished." Zelos said.

"Reforms?" Lloyd questioned.

"Yeah, you remember. I'm going to get rid of all those crazy laws against half-elves, and put up some new ones for their protection." Zelos said.

"Zelos… you really will do that?" Raine asked.

"Of course. I kind of have to, after getting to know you and Genis." Zelos said, smirking.

Lloyd laughed. "That's great, Zelos!"

"And what about you, Lloyd?" Zelos asked.

"Well… like I said, I want to gather up all the Exspheres left in the world. But first, I want to go see Dad. Er… I mean, both my dads." Lloyd said.

"Oh…" Zelos said, looking away.

"But once I visit them," Lloyd continued, "I figure I'll start looking for Exspheres in Meltokio, and help you with those laws."

Zelos' head shot up, and he had a huge grin on his face. "That'd be great. You're welcome at my mansion anytime."

Lloyd just smiled at him.

The next day, the group said their goodbyes as they went their separate ways, promising to keep in touch. Lloyd, Colette, Raine, and Genis were headed to Iselia, Regal and Presea to Altamira, Sheena to Mizuho, and Zelos to Meltokio. Zelos snuck a kiss goodbye to Lloyd, and Lloyd promised he'd be at his mansion the next day.

Once they landed in Iselia, the original group split, with Raine and Genis going to their home and Colette running off to see her family. Lloyd sighed and made the trek to Dirk's house.

"Dads! I'm home!" Lloyd yelled, walking into the house.

"Lloyd! Is everything all right?" Dirk asked, turning from the game of cards he had been playing with Kratos.

"Yeah. It's great! We did it! We germinated the Great Seed!" Lloyd said.

"Lloyd… What about Mithos?" Kratos asked.

Lloyd shook his head sadly. "He's gone for good."

"I see…" Kratos said.

"That's great news, Lloyd! So, what do you plan to do now?" Dirk asked.

"Well, I want to gather up all the Exspheres left in the world. I'm heading out tomorrow, starting with Meltokio." Lloyd said.

"That's a great idea, Lloyd. I'm so proud of you." Dirk said.

"Yes. As am I." Kratos said, giving his son one of his rare smiles.

Lloyd laughed and grinned back, happy to be sharing this moment with both his dads. He walked to the table and joined them, explaining in detail all that had occurred.

The next morning, he made his goodbyes and took off for Meltokio. When he landed and entered the city, he started to get nervous. He quickly walked to the noble's section, and knocked on Zelos' door before he could loose his nerve.

Zelos open the door and screamed, "Lloyd!", pouncing on him.

"Oof… Zelos!" Lloyd said, barely able to breathe through the tight grip the older male had on him. Zelos quickly released Lloyd and pulled him inside, shutting the door and leaning down to give Lloyd a long, passionate kiss.

After several minutes, Lloyd pulled away, gasping for air.

"I missed you." Zelos said, leaning their foreheads together.

Lloyd laughed. "Zelos, I was gone one day."

"Yeah, one day too long, in my opinion." Zelos said, kissing him again before breaking away and taking his hand.

"C'mon, I'll show you the room I had made for you." Zelos said.

Zelos led him up the staircase and down the hallway. He stopped in front of two doors.

Gesturing, he pointed to the right door. "That's my room, and that's yours." Zelos said, then pointing to the left door. "I wasn't sure if you'd want your own room or not…"

"Zelos… I want this to work between us. I want to take things slow." Lloyd said, looking down, embarrassed.

"Lloyd." Zelos said, lifting the younger boy's chin, forcing him to look at him. "I understand, that's why I made you your own room. I want this to work, too."

Lloyd blushed and kissed Zelos. "Thanks." He whispered.

Zelos laughed. "I just want you to be happy." He said.

Lloyd grinned. "I am happy, with you."

* * *

:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD  
Zelloyd!  
In case you haven't realized it yet, I heart Zelloyd :)  
Well, I realize I could end it there but I'm going to add an epilogue of sorts, so it's not over yet! Review?


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Epilogue (part 1)

I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

* * *

Two weeks went by and the couple had settled into a comfortable routine: Zelos would go to the castle most days to work with the King on new legislation protecting half-elves, while Lloyd scoured the city in search of Exspheres.

While some minor details were being worked out, Zelos wasn't required at the castle and accompanied Lloyd on his searches. Every night, the two would cuddle and passionately make out, but Lloyd was hesitant to sleep with Zelos or to do more and Zelos respected that and was content to wait.

They decided to visit all of their friends and see what they were up to.

"Let's visit everyone tomorrow." Lloyd said, sitting on the couch with Zelos.

"Tomorrow? Sure, I don't have to go to the castle tomorrow." Zelos said.

"Great!" Lloyd said, smiling.

"Lloyd…" Zelos said.

"Yeah?" Lloyd asked.

"I think we should tell them." Zelos said.

"Tell them what?" Lloyd asked, confused.

"About us. About our relationship." Zelos said.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess you're right." Lloyd said.

Zelos grinned. "Okay, so we'll tell them tomorrow!"

The next day, they rose and readied for the trips they would make. They decided to head to Altamira first, to see Regal and Presea. Once there, they went to the Lezareno Company and found out that both Regal and Presea were at the Sky Terrace. They took the lift up, holding hands.

"Regal! Presea!" Lloyd yelled.

The two turned and grinned when they saw their friends.

"Lloyd! Zelos! What a nice surprise!" Regal said.

Lloyd and Zelos walked over to the other two.

"Yeah, we came to see how you guys are doing!" Lloyd said.

Presea smiled. "We are good, Lloyd. How goes your search?"

"It's tough but I'm working on it." Lloyd said.

"And Zelos? Any luck with the legislation?" Regal asked.

"The council is very resistant to change, but the King and I are slowly wearing them down." Zelos answered.

"That is great to hear." Regal said.

"Yup. By the way, Lloyd and I are a couple." Zelos said, shocking everyone.

"Zelos! You could've waited a little before saying that!" Lloyd said.

"Aw, don't be embarrassed, bud." Zelos said, giving Lloyd a quick kiss. Lloyd turned bright red, but took hold of Zelos' hand and faced Regal and Presea.

They were both grinning at them.

"I'm happy for you two." Regal said.

"Yes. I hope you are happy together." Presea said.

"You're… okay with it?" Lloyd asked.

"Of course. If you really like each other, I don't see a problem with you being together." Regal said, Presea nodding along.

"Guys… thanks!" Lloyd said. "So what's going on with you?"

After an hour of catching up with Regal and Presea, Lloyd and Zelos left and headed for Mizuho to visit Sheena. Landing on the outskirts of the village, Zelos fidgeted with his Rheaird, obviously stalling.

"What's the matter, Zelos?" Lloyd asked, going to him and taking his hand.

Zelos smiled weakly. "Just nervous, I guess. Sheena's one of my best friends…"

"Then she'll be glad that you're happy." Lloyd said matter-of-factly.

Zelos sighed, squeezing Lloyd's hand. "You're right. Let's go." He said.

The two walked into the village, greeting several of the ninjas they had come to know during their journey, and found out that Sheena was at her house.

They went to it and knocked on the front panel.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" Sheena yelled from inside. A few moments later, she opened the panel and grinned in surprise at her friends.

"Hey, Zelos, Lloyd! What're you guys doing here?" Sheena asked, ushering them inside.

As they were seated in her living area, Lloyd said: "We came to see how you were doing."

"I'm good, busy though. I've been helping the Chief with the logistics of moving the village. What about you guys?" Sheena said.

"I'm working with the King to pass some half-elf reforms. Progress is slow, but we'll get there." Zelos said, smiling.

"And I'm searching for the remaining Exspheres, like I said I would." Lloyd said.

"Way to go, guys." Sheena said, smiling.

"Heh. Thanks. Actually, we have something to tell you." Lloyd said.

"Oh yeah? Well, what is it?" Sheena asked.

Lloyd looked at Zelos, who was suddenly very interested with the floor. He smiled at his boyfriend, then turned to Sheena and answered, "Zelos and I are together."

"Together?" Sheena asked, looking between the two.

"Yeah. As in, a couple. We're dating." Lloyd said.

"No way! Zelos, the great Chosen, not with his hunnies?" Sheena said in disbelief.

Zelos finally looked up at her. "Believe it. I really care about him, Sheena, and I really hope you can accept that."

"Wow. I thought you guys were just friends... When did this happen?" Sheena asked.

"Um… well, I guess officially in Flanoir, but…" Lloyd said.

"We've felt something since we first met." Zelos finished.

Sheena shook her head, still in shock.

"Please Sheena, say something." Zelos begged.

"I'm just in shock. I never pictured you together. But if you're happy, then I'm okay with it." Sheena said.

"Really?" Zelos asked.

"Really. You guys are my best friends. Of course I want you to be happy!" Sheena said.

Zelos laughed, his face lighting up. "Thanks, Sheena." He said.

Lloyd grinned and reached over to claim Zelos' hand. Sheena blinked, then smiled at them.

"So, you two living together?" She asked.

Lloyd's grin widened. "Yeah." He said.

"That's great. I'll have to come visit you sometime." Sheena said. "I was just about to make myself some rice. Why don't you both stay?"

"Sure!" Lloyd said. Zelos nodded, knowing that Lloyd was a bottomless pit and would never pass up a meal.

"Great! I'll go whip some up real quick, be right back." Sheena said, getting up and going to her kitchen.

Zelos let out a breath. "I'm so glad she's okay with us." He said.

"What, you saying you'd break up with me if she disapproved?" Lloyd teased.

"No. I would have chosen you. I would always choose you. I just didn't want to have to make that choice." Zelos said seriously.

"Zelos…" Lloyd murmured, stroking the red-head's face. He leaned in and kissed Zelos just as Sheena reentered with three bowls of rice. She blinked at the sight, then smiled and cleared her throat.

Lloyd pulled away, blushing slightly. Sheena's grin widened and she gave the couple their rice, asking them about details of their lives in Meltokio. Zelos couldn't keep the grin off his face, and he stayed in Mizuho with his boyfriend for several hours.

"Well, if we're going to visit everyone else today, we should probably head out…" Lloyd said.

Sheena nodded and walked them out. "It was really great to see you both. I hope you're happy and together for a long time. Maybe I'll come visit you in Meltokio someday." She said.

Zelos smiled and hugged his favorite ninja. "That'd be great. Thanks." He said.

Sheena grinned and waved farewell. The couple went back to their Rheairds.

"Iselia next?" Zelos questioned.

Lloyd grinned. "Yup!"

They took off to the skies, headed to the village where Lloyd had grown up.

* * *

Happy! :)  
I decided to split up these character-shots, so stay tuned for part 2 of the epilogue and the end of this fic!  
Review?


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Epilogue (part 2)

I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

* * *

Landing outside the village entrance, Zelos turned to Lloyd as he packed up the Rheairds.

"Who do you want to see first?" He asked.

"Um… how about we stop by Colette's first, then head to Genis' and the Professor's house? Then we can head to Dad's and just spend the night there." Lloyd said.

Zelos winced at the mention of spending the night in the same house as both of Lloyd's dads, after telling them that he was dating their son, but quickly hid it and said: "Sounds good. Lead the way."

It seemed that everyone they passed stopped to say a word or two to Lloyd, and it took twice as long as it should have to get to Colette's house.

Lloyd led Zelos up the stairs to the front door and knocked swiftly. Frank answered and blinked at the sight of the two boys, then smiled.

"Welcome! It's good to see you, Lloyd. And Zelos, was it?" Frank said, letting them into the house.

"Yeah. Nice to see you again." Zelos said politely.

"Frank, is Colette home?" Lloyd asked.

Frank smiled. "Of course, I'll go get her. Make yourselves at home." He said before disappearing upstairs.

Lloyd led Zelos to the living room couch, but sprang back up when Colette descended the stairs with a cry of "Lloyd!".

He hugged the girl tightly, then released her to take a good look at her.

"Well, you look great! How's everything?" Lloyd asked, resuming his seat next to Zelos as Colette gave Zelos a quick hug too before sitting in the chair across from them.

Colette smiled. "It's great! Grandmother is at the Temple helping to clear it out, while Father is helping the Professor in the schoolhouse, having taken over for her when she left. Genis is helping, too, and is thinking about heading to Palmacosta to help rebuild the Academy. What about you guys?"

"Well, I'm gathering all the Exspheres, while Zelos here is working with the King to make some laws protecting half-elves." Lloyd said.

"That's great!" Colette said enthusiastically.

"Yup! I'm working hard at it." Zelos said.

"So why are you guys here, just for a visit?" Colette asked.

"Yeah, I wanted to check up on everyone and dragged this ex-Chosen along." Lloyd said, grinning and rolling his eyes.

Zelos lightly punched his arm. "Hey, now. I wanted to come! By the way, we have something to tell you, Colette." He said.

Colette blinked. "Really? What?" She asked.

"Lloyd and me are dating. He lives with me in my mansion in Meltokio." Zelos said.

"Really? I'm so happy for you!" Colette cried, hugging them both again.

Lloyd blinked, then laughed. "That's the Colette I know! You're okay with us being together?" He asked

"Of course! I just want you to be happy!" Colette said.

Lloyd smiled at his childhood friend. "Thanks, Colette."

"No problem!" Colette chirped.

After talking for a few more moments, Lloyd and Zelos decided to head over to the schoolhouse to find their favorite half-elves.

"Colette sure was accepting… and chipper." Zelos remarked as they strolled to the school.

Lloyd just laughed. "Yeah, but that's Colette."

As they approached the schoolhouse, they noticed a lot of children milling around outside.

"Huh? Oh, class must've just gotten out." Lloyd said.

As soon as the kids spotted Lloyd, they shrieked in delight and mauled him, demanding his attention. Lloyd just laughed and tried his best to pay attention to each of them, while Zelos stood off to the side watching with a smile on his face.

After disentangling himself from the kids, Lloyd and Zelos entered the schoolhouse to find the Professor and Genis sitting at the desk in the front of the room, going over some papers.

"Genis! Professor!" Lloyd cried, grinning.

They looked up and smiled.

"Lloyd! And Zelos! What a nice surprise." Raine said.

"Lloyd!" Genis said, getting up and hugging his best friend.

Lloyd laughed. "Hey, you guys! What's going on?"

Genis smiled up at him. "Well, Raine's back teaching and I'm studying really hard so that next year I can help out at the reopening of the Palmacosta Academy."

"Yeah, Colette mentioned something like that." Lloyd said.

"Oh, so you've seen Colette?" Raine asked.

"Yeah. Actually we visited Regal, Presea, and Sheena, too." Zelos said.

"That's good. How's everyone?" Genis asked.

"They're all good." Lloyd reported.

"And what about you two?" Raine asked.

"Well, I'm working on half-elf reforms with the King." Zelos said.

"How is it going? Be honest, Zelos." Raine said.

"It's going better than expected but it will still take a while for everyone to accept the change." Zelos said.

"I see… thank you, Zelos." Raine said.

Zelos just shook his head and grinned.

"Lloyd! What about you?" Genis asked.

"Well, I'm gathering all the Exspheres like I said I would! Oh, and I'm living with Zelos. We're a couple." Lloyd said.

Both half-elves' jaws dropped at that announcement.

"Now who could've said it with more tact?" Zelos chuckled.

"What's tact?" Lloyd asked, confused.

"Obviously something you lack." Zelos said, laughing harder.

Lloyd just looked confused, until the Professor cleared her throat.

"You two… are dating?" She asked.

"Yup." Zelos confirmed.

"Wow, I can't believe it! Lloyd! I didn't know you were gay!" Genis said.

"I didn't either. But when I saw Zelos, something just clicked…" Lloyd said.

"I see. Well, then, I hope you two are happy together." Raine said.

Zelos tilted his head. "You're okay with the great ex-Chosen of Tethe'alla dating one of your former students?" He asked.

"As long as you are happy and good to him, yes. Who am I to judge you?" Raine answered.

Lloyd grinned. "Thanks, Professor."

She just smiled at him, when Genis asked, "Wait. So you guys kiss and stuff?"

Lloyd blushed, but Zelos laughed and said: "You bet. Lloyd's just so adorable and kissable, I kiss him every chance I get."

Lloyd's blush deepened, and Genis looked doubtful.

Seeing the doubt on the smaller boy's face, Zelos pulled Lloyd to him and gave him a quick kiss.

"Zelos!" Lloyd gasped. Zelos just grinned.

"Wow, so you guys really are a couple!" Genis said, staring at them.

"Yeah. We are. Are you okay with that?" Lloyd said.

"…Yeah. It's like Sis said, I just want you to be happy. Plus, it's not like you need my approval anyway." Genis said.

The couple grinned at their friends, and joined them back at their house, along with Colette, for a few hours of catching up and just being with each other.

"Well, it's getting late and we still have to go see my Dads." Lloyd said.

"Have you told them yet?" Genis asked.

"No." Lloyd answered.

Raine patted Zelos' shoulder. "Good luck." She said.

"Thanks…" Zelos muttered.

The two left after some more goodbyes and walked through the woods to Dirk's house.

Noishe met them at the bridge to the house.

"Noishe! How are you doing, huh?" Lloyd asked, petting his dog.

Noishe whined, and Lloyd grinned. He led Zelos to the door and just walked in, leaving Zelos little choice but to take a deep breath and follow him.

"Hey, Dads!" Lloyd yelled.

"Lloyd! And Zelos! What are you doing here?" Dirk asked from his position at the stove.

"We decided to visit everyone today." Lloyd explained.

"I see." Kratos said from his seat at the kitchen table.

"We were just about to eat. You boys hungry?" Dirk asked.

"All right! Yeah!" Lloyd said happily, taking a seat next to Kratos. Zelos quickly nodded and sat across from him, slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, out with it. What've you been doing?" Dirk asked, bringing the food over to the table and dishing it out.

"I've been searching for the remaining Exspheres." Lloyd said.

Kratos nodded. "And you, Zelos?" He asked.

Zelos cleared his throat. "Ah, I've been working with the King to enact some reforms in favor of half-elves." He said.

"That's a big ambition. Any luck?" Dirk asked.

"Well, change is slow but progress is being made." Zelos answered.

"Well that's good then. Everyone, dig in!" Dirk said.

They ate in companionable silence. Once everyone was done and after some more small talk, Lloyd kicked Zelos under the table and looked at him pointedly.

"Ow…" Zelos muttered. Kratos looked amused but said nothing.

"Zelos…" Lloyd said.

Zelos smiled sweetly. "Yes, Lloyd?" He asked innocently.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Lloyd growled.

Zelos found himself being dragged from the table by his boyfriend. "Um, sure. Excuse us." Zelos said quickly.

Lloyd dragged Zelos outside, then turned to him. "Well? When are you going to tell them?" He asked.

"Me?" Zelos squeaked.

"Yes, you. It's your turn!" Lloyd said.

"My turn? What are you talking about, they're your fathers!" Zelos said.

Lloyd ticked it off on his hands: "You told Regal and Presea, then I told Sheena, you told Colette, and I just told the Professor and Genis. It's your turn."

"Aww, Lloyd. C'mon, don't make me do it. They're your parents!" Zelos pouted, giving Lloyd a puppy-dog look.

Lloyd glared at him, but caved in and sighed. "Fine, I'll tell them. Chicken."

"Aww, bud." Zelos whined.

Lloyd laughed and led Zelos back into the house. They reentered to find both Dirk and Kratos sitting at the table still and looking at the expectantly.

"Um…" Lloyd said.

"I still have my angel hearing. What is it that you need to tell us?" Kratos asked.

Zelos paled and mentally smacked himself for forgetting that Kratos had angel senses.

"Heh. Well…" Lloyd started.

"Out with it, Lloyd." Dirk said sternly.

Lloyd took a deep breath, then grabbed hold of Zelos hand and said: "Zelos and I are dating."

Kratos and Dirk stared first at Lloyd, then at Zelos, then back at Lloyd. After a long moment of silence, Dirk said: "Well, then."

"I'm living with him in Meltokio. We're a couple, and we're happy and I really want you to be happy for us." Lloyd said.

"I see…" Kratos said, his face blank.

"Look, I know this might be a shock to you, but I want you to know that I respect your son and really like him. This isn't just a convenience or a fling for me. I really want this to work. Lloyd is someone who is so incredibly special and I'd be an idiot if I let him go." Zelos said.

Lloyd blushed. Kratos nodded slightly.

"Very well. If you are truly happy…" Kratos said.

"We are." Lloyd said firmly, still slightly red.

"Well, I don't see a problem with it, then." Dirk said, smiling.

Zelos cautiously smiled back.

"However, should you hurt Lloyd in any way…" Kratos said menacingly.

Zelos' smile abruptly vanished as Kratos let the threat hang in the air for a moment.

"I won't. I really care for him." Zelos said.

Kratos nodded. "Good." He said.

"So you're both happy with this?" Lloyd asked.

"Well, I don't have much of a say, now do I?" Dirk said with a smirk. "I just want you to be happy, Lloyd."

"While this certainly is a shock… I can tell that your feelings run deep for each other. I, too, just want you to be content, Lloyd." Kratos said.

Lloyd grinned widely. "Thanks, Dads."

"It's getting late. You shouldn't travel now, why don't you stay the night?" Dirk said.

"Yes, that's a good idea." Kratos agreed.

"Lloyd, since Kratos has the guest room, you and Zelos will have to share your old room. However…" Dirk said, glancing at Kratos.

Kratos nodded, then faced the two boys. "You will not be sharing the bed; one of you will have to sleep on the floor. Is that understood?"

Zelos smiled meekly. "Yes, sir."

Lloyd rolled his eyes, blushing. "We wouldn't do anything! We don't even sleep in the same bed in Meltokio!" He said indignantly.

"That's a relief." Kratos muttered, while Dirk simply said, "Good. Then you won't mind these arrangements for tonight."

Lloyd sighed but nodded, saying good night to his dads and leading Zelos to his room.

"Well that went… well." Zelos said.

Lloyd grinned. "I'm glad they're okay with us."

Zelos smiled. "Me, too. Now, who gets the bed?"

The next morning, Zelos' back hurt slightly from having slept on the floor – "Chickens don't deserve the bed" Lloyd had informed him – the two said their goodbyes and took off on their Rheairds for what had become home. Walking quickly through the city, the two entered the mansion and were greeted by Sebastian.

"How was your trip, Master Zelos, Master Lloyd?" He inquired.

"It was good, great to see everyone. Surprisingly, they were all supportive of us." Zelos said.

"Of course, Master Zelos. They are your friends, after all." Sebastian said.

"Heh. Yeah. Well, Lloyd and I are exhausted and are going to take a nap so plan on a late lunch." Zelos said.

Sebastian bowed and Zelos led Lloyd up the stairs to their rooms.

Yawning, he grinned at his boyfriend.

"I'm glad we did this, Lloyd." Zelos said.

"Me, too, Zelos." Lloyd said, grinning back.

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm exhausted. Do you think your Dads woke us up that early on purpose?" Zelos asked.

Lloyd laughed. "Oh, yeah."

Zelos rolled his eyes. "Well, whatever. I'm going to catch a few before lunch. Afterwards, you want to tackle getting the Exspheres out of the shops?" He asked.

"Sure." Lloyd said sleepily.

Zelos smiled. "Get some sleep, Lloyd."

Zelos leaned down and kissed Lloyd slowly, passionately, breaking away with a small sigh of pure contentment.

"Zelos…" Lloyd murmured.

"I know, Lloyd. I know." Zelos said, hugging his boyfriend and kissing him gently once more.

"I'll see you for lunch in a few." He said.

"Yeah. Thanks, Zelos." Lloyd said.

Turning, Lloyd entered his room and quietly shut the door, dropping onto the bed without even removing his shoes and falling asleep instantly, with a small smile on his face.

Zelos grinned at his boyfriend's closed door. "Sweet dreams, Lloyd." He whispered, then entered his own room for some much needed sleep before going out on the town with Lloyd.

* * *

Aww!

Well, that's it folks. The end of Unconditional. Aren't Zelos and Lloyd so cute? (Correct answer is YES!) :P  
I'll be adding a bonus Chapter with the Zelloyd LEMON that you've been waiting for; just check back soon!  
Until then… Review?


	13. Chapter 13

As promised, the bonus Zelloyd Lemon. That means LloydxZelos, boyxboy, smex, so be warned and enjoy!

I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

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A FEW MONTHS LATER

Yawning, Lloyd closed the door to his room behind him as he headed for the stairs. Going down them, he wondered if Zelos was on his way home yet. He turned left at the bottom, heading toward the kitchen. He flipped the lights on and wandered over to the counter to see if there was anything to eat while he waited.

"Can I help you with something, Master Lloyd?" Sebastian asked, stepping into the kitchen.

"Geez!" Lloyd yelled, jumping and spinning around in surprise. "How can you be so quiet? You need to stop sneaking up on me!"

"I apologize, Master Lloyd. I heard you come down from your room and merely wished to inquire if you need any assistance." Sebastian said, bowing his head slightly.

"No, thanks. I was just looking for a snack to pass the time. Any clue when Zelos'll be back?" Lloyd asked, leaning back against the counter.

"I'm afraid I do not know. However, you are, of course, welcome to wait up for him. In the meantime, would you like me to prepare some food for you?" Sebastian returned.

"Nah, I guess I'm not that hungry after all. I think I'll just grab a glass of orange juice. I'll turn the light out when I'm done and head up to bed, I guess." Lloyd said.

"Very well, Master Lloyd. Have a good night." With that, Sebastian bowed his head and turned and left the kitchen, heading to his personal rooms on the other side of the house.

Lloyd sighed, having never gotten used to having a servant in the house. He had been living with Zelos in his mansion in Meltokio for a few months now as Zelos tried to set up some protections for half-elves. Their relationship was still growing, and Lloyd found himself missing Zelos in the time they spent apart. Although they had been together as a couple for the past couple of months, Lloyd was still hesitant to share a bed with Zelos. He knew his refusal confused Zelos, since they had slept in the same bed before during their journey, but now that the others had gone their separate ways, and it was basically just the two of them in the house… Lloyd was just nervous to take that next step, having never gone further with anyone then the fooling around he and Zelos were currently doing. Resigned to another sleepless night, Lloyd poured himself some juice and gulped half of it down. Just then, he heard the sound of a key turning in the front door, and glanced out the kitchen doorway to see Zelos step into the mansion.

Noticing the light in the kitchen, Zelos sauntered in and sent Lloyd a flirtatious smile.

"Hey, bud. God, it's nice to see your face. It's been a long day." Zelos said, leaning on the doorway.

Lloyd smiled back at him, and put his glass on the counter. Sobering some, he said, "I'm sorry. Any progress?"

Zelos blew out a breath, causing his hair to flit around his face. "Some, I think. The King and I have managed to convince four of the nine advisors that half-elves deserve the same fair treatment under the law as humans and elves, but the King doesn't want to pass any reforms without the entire panels' consent, as it will mean big changes for Tethe'alla." Zelos said.

"Ah. Well, at least you're making progress. You'll make them understand, I know it." Lloyd said.

"Heh, yeah. You bet I will. Man, I'm exhausted, let's get some sleep, okay? I don't have to go to the castle tomorrow, so we can spend the day rounding up the remaining Exspheres in the city." Zelos said.

"Yes! All right, finally! I've gotten most of them, but with the influence of the last Chosen, I'm sure we can get the rest." Lloyd said. He hurriedly gulped down the rest of his orange juice and walked toward Zelos.

Zelos grinned. "You bet." He said, grabbing Lloyd's hand and giving it a squeeze.

Surprising him, Lloyd pulled Zelos into a hug, pressing their bodies together.

"What, miss me?" Zelos asked teasingly, rubbing his hands on Lloyd's back.

"Of course!" Lloyd said, pulling back to show Zelos his huge grin.

"C'mon, let's go to bed." Zelos said. He flipped the light off and the pair headed to the hallway and up the stairs. At the top, they continued down the hallway, and came to a stop before two doors, one leading to Zelos' bedroom, and one leading to Lloyd's.

"Well… good night." Zelos said, leaning down a little to give Lloyd a kiss.

Suddenly, his feelings for Zelos all crashed down on Lloyd, making his heart actually ache. Realizing that he wanted to spend as much of his time as possible with Zelos, and that he had incredibly strong feelings for him, both emotional and carnal, Lloyd put his hands on Zelos' shoulders and yanked his mouth to him, putting his emotions into the kiss. Zelos responded immediately, putting his hands on Lloyd's hips and pulling his body closer.

Pulling back, Zelos breathlessly said, "Wow! What was that, all of a sudden?"

Lloyd stared into Zelos' eyes, and grabbed his hand. "Spend the night with me." He said.

"Lloyd… are you sure?" Zelos asked.

"Yes… Zelos…" Lloyd said, alternately looking into Zelos' eyes and at his lips.

Zelos needed no further invitation, opening the door to his bedroom and pulling Lloyd in after him, slamming the door shut and shoving Lloyd back against it in one fluid motion, flicking the lock into place with an audible snap.

Out of breath, Lloyd stared at Zelos for a second.

"Lloyd…" Zelos said, reaching for him.

Lloyd reached up and put his hands around Zelos' neck, running his hands through his hair. Zelos groaned, and pushed his body against Lloyd's, kissing him, enjoying the tangy aftertaste of orange juice in his mouth. Zelos ran his gloved fingers over Lloyd's face and down his neck, causing him to shiver. Zelos ripped the gloves off and repeated the motion with his bare fingertips, making Lloyd shudder harder. Deepening the kiss and increasing the intensity until their tongues were doing a frantic dance, Zelos slipped his fingers up and under Lloyd's jacket, pushing it off his shoulders until it slipped off and pooled at their feet. He ran his hands up and down Lloyd's toned arms, then tugged his undershirt up and over his head, dropping that to the floor as well, causing their kiss to break.

"Nice." Zelos said, admiring Lloyd.

Lloyd grinned, and, taking his gloves off, too, reached out to remove Zelos' jacket as well. Before he could pull at his shirt, though, Zelos crushed back into him, grabbing his hands and holding them above his head against the door, making manacles with his hands. Lloyd groaned, and strained against Zelos but didn't break free. Zelos broke off his kiss and proceeded to nip and kiss Lloyd's jaw line, trailing down his neck and settling onto his shoulder. Biting the muscle caused Lloyd to groan again, and Zelos grinned against him. He released his hands to trail them down Lloyd's stomach, pushing the overalls off and hooking his fingers in Lloyd's pants. At the same time, Lloyd reached out and slipped his hands under Zelos' shirt, running them over the hard muscles and outlining his Cruxis Crystal.

Zelos unbuttoned Lloyd's pants as Lloyd tugged his shirt up, and Zelos stopped long enough to remove his shirt before putting his hands on Lloyd's hips and shoving his pants down so that the pooled around his ankles.

"Lloyd… are you sure?" Zelos asked again.

Instead of answering him, Lloyd stepped out of his pants and pulled off his shoes and socks. Standing up, he looked into Zelos' eyes and said simply, "Yes."

Zelos grinned and stepped closer to Lloyd, so that once again he was pushed against the door. Zelos moved in closer, until their bare chests were pressed together, and the two kissed steamily. Zelos slipped his hand between their bodies, cupping Lloyd through his shorts. Lloyd jumped, but Zelos just pressed against him harder, until the sensation of the hard wood at his back blended with the gentle pressure of Zelos' hand. While Zelos' tongue was doing things inside Lloyd's mouth that made his head spin, his hand was simultaneously stroking Lloyd through his shorts, applying slight pressure. The combination made Lloyd moan deep in his throat, and he shuddered against Zelos. Aroused by Lloyd's reaction, Zelos slipped his fingers into his waistband and tugged the shorts down until they, too, pooled at Lloyd's ankles.

"Step out." Zelos whispered against Lloyd's mouth.

Gasping for breath, Lloyd did so, but before he could take a steadying breath, Zelos crushed their mouths together once more. He ran his hands over Lloyd's muscular chest and stomach, while it was all Lloyd could do to grip Zelos' shoulders tightly. Zelos trailed his fingers lower and lower until he held Lloyd in his hands. Lloyd's hips instinctively jerked, and Zelos began to stroke him up and down his length, increasing pressure and speed until Lloyd was moaning into his mouth and jerking his hips in time with Zelos' hands.

Breaking the kiss, Zelos trailed his lips down Lloyd's neck, shoulder, and chest. He crouched down in front of Lloyd, kissing his stomach, all the while still pulling his length. Zelos twirled his tongue in Lloyd's navel, causing Lloyd to moan, long and low, setting off an answering moan from Zelos. With no further warning, Zelos removed his hands from Lloyd and took him fully into his mouth.

Lloyd jerked and gasped, causing himself to thrust into Zelos' mouth and setting off twin moans as they both reveled in the feelings. Lloyd's whole body, it seemed, was pinpointed in that one location, and every flick of Zelos' tongue caused ripples of pleasure to roll through him. He had never felt anything like this before, and the pressure inside him just kept building and building until he didn't think he could stand anymore, and yet knew he would also die if Zelos stopped.

Feeling Lloyd's increased rhythm and hearing his labored breathing and long moans, Zelos sucked hard, digging his fingers into Lloyd's hip. Lloyd grabbed wildly at Zelos' hair, twining his fingers in it as an anchor as he felt his body ready to explode. Zelos flicked his tongue over Lloyd's tip, and gave one more long pull with his mouth. He ran his tongue over the slit, tasting the salty precum and moaning. He began to bob his head frantically in time with Lloyd's thrusts, ignoring his gag reflex as he took in Lloyd completely, sucking hard and playing with the sensitive head. Crying out, Lloyd gripped Zelos' hair harder as he came into his mouth, arching against the door. Zelos moaned as the hot, thick liquid ran into his mouth and down his throat. Swallowing, he proceeded to lick Lloyd clean as he shuddered against the door. Zelos trailed his mouth back up Lloyd's body, ending with a deep tongue-tangling kiss.

Lloyd opened eyes he didn't remember shutting, tasting himself in Zelos' mouth. "Wow." He breathed, breathless and weak after reaching his release.

Zelos grinned. "We're not done yet." He said.

Lloyd eyes widened slightly, and Zelos laughed a little.

"Don't worry, you'll like it." Zelos said.

He kissed Lloyd's cheek, then jaw, and then sucked on his earlobe. Zelos reached down and lightly played his fingers along Lloyd's length. Lloyd moaned, the sensation sending sparks of pleasure through his frayed system. As the pressure started to build once more, Lloyd groaned and reached for Zelos, crushing their mouths together. Zelos put his hands on Lloyd's hips, and started walking him away from the door and guiding him to the bed in the middle of the darkening room, never once breaking the kiss.

Fumbling, Lloyd reached down between them and unbuttoned Zelos' pants. Grinning, Zelos quickly took off his pants, shorts, socks, and shoes, so that both of them were standing naked at the edge of Zelos' bed. Resuming their intense kissing, Zelos backed Lloyd into the edge of the bed until he fell over and lay on it with his legs dangling off. Zelos held himself over him, and Lloyd wrapped his arms around him, enjoying the feeling of Zelos' hair moving over his chest. He reached between them and hesitantly stroked Zelos, adding more pressure when Zelos moaned in response. After some more tongue-twisting kisses, Zelos broke off and, stilling Lloyd's hand and looking into his eyes, whispered, "Turn over."

Blinking in confusion, Lloyd rolled over so that he was on his stomach on the bed. Zelos pulled at his hips until Lloyd was more bending over the bed than laying on it. He reached into the top drawer of his nightstand, pulling out a condom and bottle of lube. Zelos reached around him and grabbed Lloyd's length, simultaneously laying his body on top of Lloyd's and kissing his shoulder. Lloyd moaned, jerking back into Zelos, causing him to moan as well. Putting some lube on his fingers, Zelos guided them to Lloyd's hole. At the hesitant probing, Lloyd jerked, then stiffened as Zelos slid one finger into him. Wiggling it and widening him, Lloyd moaned, all pain forgotten as Zelos simultaneously pulled his length and fingered him. Zelos soon slipped in two, then three fingers into Lloyd, moaning at the hot tightness. Slipping his fingers in and out, he brushed against the spot in Lloyd that sent a jolt through his system, causing him to choke out a moan. Having grown unbearably hard and unable to wait any longer, Zelos pulled his fingers out, causing Lloyd to whimper at the loss, and quickly put on the condom and applied an ample amount of lube. He guided himself to Lloyd's entrance and slowly pushed into him, groaning in pleasure at he was tightly surrounded in him.

Lloyd stiffened in shock and pain as Zelos entered him. Zelos stilled to give Lloyd the chance to adjust, then gently pulled at his length. Lloyd moaned and jerked his hips, causing Zelos to jerk inside him, causing them both to moan as the pleasure swept through them.

"Zelos…" Lloyd moaned, unable to think anymore as Zelos started to move in him, thrusting slowly at first, then gaining speed while keeping pressure on Lloyd's length. Lloyd fisted his hands in the blankets, and started meeting Zelos thrust for thrust. At each slap of their bodies, Lloyd moaned, feeling Zelos hit his sweet spot over and over again. Zelos moaned and started pumping faster and faster, yanking Lloyd harder and harder, until Lloyd yelled out his name as he came again, all over the bed. This pushed Zelos over the edge, and giving one final thrust, yelled out Lloyd's name and came inside him. They both collapsed on the bed, satisfied and exhausted.

Rolling off Lloyd and hooking his arm around his waist so that Lloyd rolled over as well until they were lying side by side on the other end of the bed, Zelos sighed in contentment.

Lloyd laid his head on Zelos' chest and closed his eyes, marveling at the pleasure that still simmered in his system.

"Well…?" Zelos asked, tipping Lloyd's chin up so that they were looking each other in the face.

Lloyd opened his eyes and smiled at Zelos.

"I never imagined it like that. That was… incredible." He said.

"Yeah, it was." Zelos said, grinning.

"I never thought I could feel that. It was amazing. You were amazing." Lloyd said.

"Lloyd, I love you." Zelos blurted out.

"Wh… what?" Lloyd said, stunned.

Zelos took a deep breath. "I love you. Even though you're a country bumpkin," Zelos said with a smirk, "I feel like I could talk to you about anything, and you'd always try to understand. You always make me feel better when I'm upset, and are there for me when I need you. I think about you all the time when I'm not with you, and when I am with you, I think about never wanting to be apart. If you don't feel the same way, don't feet bad, you don't have to say anything; I just wanted you to know – " Zelos said.

Lloyd cut him off. "I love you too."

"R… really? Lloyd, really?" Zelos asked.

"Zelos, I love you." Lloyd said.

Zelos laughed and said, "Yes! I knew we were meant to be. I knew it from the very first time I saw you."

Zelos tipped his head down and kissed Lloyd, but this kiss was different. Instead of their usual steamy kisses or light teasing pecks, this kiss was slow and deep, and full of the love they had for each other. Blissfully, the two lay on the bed and embraced one another as they drifted off, full of the feelings of satisfaction and love that they shared.

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I couldn't resist adding some fluff at the end there :D  
So, my first lemon, let alone Zelloyd lemon. What'd ya think?  
Also, just a thanks to everyone who read this fic all the way through, hope you liked it!


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